He is truly someone in the books when it comes to railroad history. Believe or not when I was a little fellow, Casey's house was in downtown Jackson where I lived. His story was told all of the time. I used to visit the house, it was near the IC&G office building and knock on the front door and Mrs. Jones would let me in and we would sit in the parlor eating cookies and drinking a glass of milk and talk about railroads. At an early age she knew I loved train. When she could, we would walk down to the tracks, isn't wasn't that far but she was up in years so we would make it a short walk.
She would remenice about her husband, you could tell she still missed him. He actually had a deep faith, they both were Catholic and he is buried in the Catholic Cemetary over in East Jackson. There is even a carved replica of his engine on the stone. Casy Jones days are still a big deal in that city but it is fading a little now, after all it's been over one hundred year since the accident and his death.
In the nineteen seventies, when I worked for the local television station I covered a story when the IC&G produced a commemortive GP-38 with his name on the cab. I got a chance to get on that engine and the engineer ran it a short distance then backed it up. It was similar to the engine in the background.
Great memories for you kid.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia, SC
Casey was not a "hero" by any means because had he obey his orders regarding those trains he was to meet and slowed down he would have stopped.
This is not the first time Casey disobeyed train orders he had several reprimands for rule infractions including excessive speed.
."Hero"? No,just a engineer that overstep his orders.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
maxman Track fiddler Casey sped his train that day at high speeds to make up for lost time to get his passengers to the depot on time. He threw caution to the wind. Track fiddler why didn't he jump at the very last second after the break man. He just couldn't catch a "brake". Track fiddler I wonder what his thoughts were at those last seconds I'd rather be in Philadelphia.
Track fiddler Casey sped his train that day at high speeds to make up for lost time to get his passengers to the depot on time.
He threw caution to the wind.
Track fiddler why didn't he jump at the very last second after the break man.
He just couldn't catch a "brake".
Track fiddler I wonder what his thoughts were at those last seconds
I'd rather be in Philadelphia.
Yep.... Makes sense to me. Don't think I didn't think about that too.
Who drives 200,000 Tons of steel down the tracks through caution zones like a wild......... rabid wildebeest if you will
Still there must be more to be said on this subject...... So far we got crazy man that shouldn't be going that darn fast and shouldn't even be labeled a Hero.
Good Good, this thread is starting to take some shape here
Track fiddlerCasey sped his train that day at high speeds to make up for lost time to get his passengers to the depot on time.
Track fiddlerwhy didn't he jump at the very last second after the break man.
I do remember when I was a very young kid that Casey Jones was a Railroad Hero. I don't remember the exact reason why I knew that but there must have been some reason while I was watching that old Casey Jones broadcasted program on TV.
When I visited the Casey Jones home and museum in Jackson Tennessee the story of how he lost his life that day was somewhat new to me.
Although somewhat familiar to me hearing the story again at an older age, made me wonder why.
Casey had taken the place of another engineer that was sick that day. The train was already behind schedule but the legend is Casey always arrived his passengers on time.
I'm not really out to tell the whole story verbatim here, nor do I think I could. That's why I thought this thread can make a good discussion piece.
The story I understood at the Museum is Casey sped his train that day at high speeds to make up for lost time to get his passengers to the depot on time.
At a depot siding prior to his destination there was a problem with another train that had to be put on the siding but there was another train already on that siding and it wouldn't quite fit.
The Caboose was hanging out past the turn out or switch track as they were called back then. Casey spotted certain disaster and managed to slow his train down from 75 miles an hour to 35 miles an hour.
He told his break man to jump, seconds before the Collision. In doing so nobody was seriously injured or killed that day, except for Casey.
He saved everyone's life except his own.... Casey Jones became a hero that day.
The only question I have is why didn't Casey jump at the very last second after the break man. He couldn't do anymore at that point and still would have been a hero that day.
I know there's no Coulda Shoulda Woulda..... but he could have saved his own life too. I wonder what his thoughts were at those last seconds while he was to concerned about saving everyone else's life....... What a Great Railroad Man!