The recording session took place on October 6, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Besides Brashaw, Prysock, and Paul, the other participants were: Leslie Ayers and Lester Bass on trumpets; Andrew Penn on trombone; Ted "Snooky" Holbert on alto and baritone sax; Rufus Gore on tenor saxes; Jimmy Robinson on piano; and Clarence Mack on bass. King Records issued the song on both ten-inch 78 rpm and seven-inch 45 rpm records in late 1951. "Billboard" magazine reviewed the release and commented using jump parlance: "The singer comes thru with a great vocal on a rockin' novelty, with some solid chorus and ork a.k.a. swing band backing. Tune builds all the way. Platter could catch a lot of change." However, it did not appear on the charts of the nation's most popular R&B songs, such as those compiled by "Billboard". Although Bradshaw had five other records that reached the R&B top ten, "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" remains his best-known recording and continues to be popular with Shag dancers (a type of swing dance) on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.