Work continues on modifying the layout table

I was working on the layout table when I heard a familiar guitar twang and called over to Cal, "Can you turn it up?"

My pappy said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'

If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Birney!"

Cal put down his paper, reached for the radio's volume knob and gave it a twist.

Have you heard this story of the hot rod race?

When PCCs and Birneys was settin' the pace

That story is true, I'm here to say

I was drivin' that Safety Car

It's got GE motors and it's really souped up

That single truck body makes it look like a pup

It's got twin grid resistors, uses them all

It's got overdrive, just won't stall

With a K-63 controller and single wire contact

With copper armature coils you can really get lost

It's got safety brakes, but I ain't scared

The wheels are good, breakers fair

Pulled out of San Pedro late one night

The moon and the stars was shinin' bright

We was rollin' up Grapevine Hill

Passing streetcars like they was standing still

All of a sudden in a wink of an eye

A PCC passed us by

I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"

By then its taillight was all you could see

Now the fellas was ribbin' me for bein' behind

So I thought I'd make the Birney unwind

Put both hands on the crank and man alive

I shoved it on down into overdrive

Wound it up to a hundred-and-ten

My speedometer said that I hit top end

My hands were glued like lead to the grip

That's all there is and there ain't no more

Now the boys all thought I'd lost my sense

And telephone poles looked like a picket fence

They said, "Slow down! I see spots!

The lines on the road just look like dots"

Took a corner; sideswiped a tram

Crossed my fingers just for luck

My fenders was clickin' the guardrail posts

The guy beside me was white as a ghost

Sparks was comin' from off of the wire

When I started to gain on that PCC

Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass

Don't you know by then we'd be low on sand

We had flames comin' from off of the rails

Feel the tension. Man! What a ride!

I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"

And that PCC pulled over and let us by

Now all of a sudden she started to knockin'

And down in the truck she started to rockin'

I looked in my mirror; a red light was blinkin'

The cops was after my Hot Rod Birney!

They arrested me and they put me in jail

And called my pappy to throw my bail

And he said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'

If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Birney!" *

*You're right, rhyming is not my forte, so apologies to the great Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen.