Casey Jones and his engines

[rogertra]

roger
I agree, Casey was no hero by all means but he did a heroic deed by doing everything possible to bring that train to a halt or at least slow her down in order to save the lives of his passengers. Hypothetically speaking I wonder if anyone else would have taken their own life in order to do same.
In the times he was engineering you have to remember there was primitive signalling as to what we have today. It was speculated that the flagman was checking out the problem with the other train and was late to get to the spot where he should have been.
Casey drove the way his employers expected him to drive as to make every stop on time. In that day and age it was an honor to please the boss not so with some of today's workers.
Tragically it had to end in his death but he should be honored as he did what was expected of him and then had to try to stop on a dime in the middle of the night because a train did not make it all the way into the siding.

Jerry 

Jerry, there are probably dozens and dozens of stories where locomotive crews have stayed with their train rather than jump.  Jones was not the only one in recorded history to stay at his post.  It was the ballad and its subsequent popularity that made him (in)famous, not just his deeds or actions.  If it wasn't for the ballad, he'd be a footnote in history.

For someone who was brave and stayed with his engine, read about john Axon, a man who truly was heroic as he stayed with his unbraked runaway train sounding the whistle to warn people of its 50 plus mile per hour charge downgrade.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Axon

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

Jerry, from what I've read is that the train Jones hit was too long for the siding. While the train on the siding was trying to move forward to clear the rear switch something happened and the train was stuck.

[Jerrys HO]

Sorry guy's, I was not trying to make him a hero just trying to get a point across to Andrew that it was a historic moment and that is why modelers wish to model the ole #382.
Gosh you nit pickers pick everything apart.

Jerry

[rogertra]

Sorry guy's, I was not trying to make him a hero just trying to get a point across to Andrew that it was a historic moment and that is why modelers wish to model the ole #382.
Gosh you nit pickers pick everything apart.

Jerry

Sorry Jerry but it's in our contract. 

[JerryB]

Sorry guy's, I was not trying to make him a hero just trying to get a point across to Andrew that it was a historic moment and that is why modelers wish to model the ole #382.
Gosh you nit pickers pick everything apart.

Jerry

Jerrys HO: Thanks for starting the Casey Jones discussion. It has made me go review several resources for the Casey Jones story, and also to talk to a couple of RR fan & historian friends. Great renewal of the story in my mind.

Far from other posters 'picking everything apart,' I think you brought up an "historic moment" that has elicited a number of responses that have (so far) been very civil and presented the Casey Jones story as what it is: An important piece of Americana, whether one believes Mr. Jones was a hero or a just a bad driver. 

Jerry

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

I think Casey should not have a model of his engine available and just thinking about the crash I sure would hate to be the guy to tell his family about why he didn't come home I have a feeling I would get beat up big time

I understand your feelings here. Beat up or not speak your mind, just don't be too foolish to at least consider the thoughts of others. Casey was a legend with the timekeepers, and the accident had many conflicting stories, and would have ruined a veteran flagman had the findings been otherwise. Dead men don't need jobs. Casey was the only person who died, likely because he didn't jump, his fault or not that alone is heroic enough for me. He took the responsibility for his mistake, and owned it like a man. The findings conflicted with what the fireman, and some others said. It could have been his fault as well, more so in my eyes, he had the view and they were a team. Sad or not it is a reminder of histories follies as well as a lesson in morals, both good and bad. We don't learn from an erased history.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Oh yea! Thanks for the contributions to the history lesson, don't stop, but don't forget I would like any info on scale builds of that cannonball ,an old name describing any fast train, used in a headline to describe the wreck. It was not the actual name of that train, nor do I remember it being the name of the run, the name just stuck after the headline.

What about his previous regular loco?

[J3a-614]

Casey's previous locomotive was No. 638, a 2-8-0 very similar to his nearly new Rogers 4-6-0 he ran after promotion to passenger service.

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/media/638.jpg

The famous 382, likely photographed after the wreck and rebuilding:

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/media/382.jpg

Jones himself, enlarged from a group portrait.  He was relatively young when he died (age 36).  He was also a strong union man, holding both his Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers membership and continuing as a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (correct name?).

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/media/casey02.jpg

Source for above photos.

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/media.htm

http://www.watervalley.net/users/caseyjones/home.htm

[Doneldon]

Casey's previous locomotive was No. 638, a 2-8-0 very similar to his nearly new Rogers 4-6-0 he ran after promotion to passenger service.

J3-

I haven't looked up Casey Jones stories for quite a while but I seem to recall that he went out extra on 382. It wasn't his regular loco (railroaders in the old days were very possessive of their engines and crummies) or his regular run.

                                                                                                                                      -- D

[ebtnut]

In addition to the AHM HO and O scale models (I have a motorized O scale one), there was a model done in brass, probably also back in the 1970's.  I believe Red Ball was the importer.  Also note that there was a time back in the 1950's/60's era when some manufacturers labled a 4-6-0 they produced a "Casey Jones" engine, even if had no resemblance to the actual loco.  Probably the best-known was the Varney model, which was one of their "screwdriver assembly" kits.  The model shared boiler, cylinder block, pilot, and tender with the "Old Lady" 2-8-0 kit.  The 2-8-0 is pretty close to a Southern loco, one of which is preserved at the Whippany Railway Museum in New Jersey. 

[Mdaskalos]

I think Casey should not have a model of his engine available and just thinking about the crash I sure would hate to be the guy to tell his family about why he didn't come home I have a feeling I would get beat up big time

1. Rest easy, he doesn't, and he won't. He is, after all, how to put it....ummmmm......dead.

2. By your reasoning, ship modelers should find available no models of the Titanic; Captain Smith did a baaaaad thiiing, ignoring all those ice warnings, so no model there. Probably gotta can the Bismark, too, then, I mean, it was piloted by some unsavory types, y'know?

3. And what about those Nazis anyway? They were some dern bad characaters all around, wuzn't they? Gotta get them German WWII airplanes and tanks and U-boats off the market, too, then.

4. Finally, use as much of the below as needed. Copy and paste will work. Really, keep 'em! I have more!
.....................
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
:::::::::::::::::

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

ebtnut- Got a photo of your O scale? Brass is usually out of my league, but Ill look around.

3. And what about those Nazis anyway? They were some dern bad characaters all around, wuzn't they?

That's the subject where I originally picked up the "erased history" line. It stuck deep in my mind.

U-boats off the market, too, then.

Even the Verandas? 

4. Finally, use as much of the below as needed. Copy and paste will work. Really, keep 'em! I have more!
.....................
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
:::::::::::::::::

Normally I frown on "Grammer Nazis"    ('cause I suck ) But this is too funny. I had to blow it up to 200% to figure out exactly what was going on, but it was worth it.
(yes grammar is spelled wrong on porpoise)........they call him Flipper.. Flipper.. King of the ocean! Sorry....

Thanks for the info. Keep it coming! I read the 382 photo was touched(old term for "photo shopped", before computers). Done for a news story, it was #38?, the two was painted on after the old number(& a crew member) were painted out.

[Mdaskalos]

Even the Verandas? 

OK, GG1, I'm not to proud to admit you got me on the veranda reference. A veranda is a porch, right? I was thinking "Porch...screen door...man, maybe he's making a veiled reference to the old saying, something about me being 'as useful as a screen door on a submarine.' " Or, that we gotta get 'em off the second-hand market, too - no yard sales, etc., and thus off the front porch/veranda.

Anyway, I'm betting none of those are right, so I'll ask: What's the veranda reference mean?

Normally I frown on "Grammer Nazis"    ('cause I suck ) But this is too funny. I had to blow it up to 200% to figure out exactly what was going on, but it was worth it.
(yes grammar is spelled wrong on porpoise...

Hey, it doesn't have to be misspelled...maybe it means you're a detail man about the show "Frasier"!

It is possible to carry the grammar correctness thing too far. Back when we were kids, were taught to say "burst" instead of "bust" ("Waaaah , mommy!!!  Jimmy  busted my balloon!" Mom: "No, Billy: Jimmy burst your balloon."), some of you might remember stuff like that. But consider grammatically correct burst/bust phraseology carried too far: I mean, I like watching a good football game, and seeing my team really "bust their a$$es" out there on the field. If the game goes well, them my team is "busting the other team's a$$es" out there, too. I like to watching that kind of tough game.

HOWEVER: You could not pay me to watch a player "burst his posterior" out there on the field. Nor would I want to watch him bursting anyone else's posterior out there, no matter how much more grammatically correct the term may be! (Quick!!!Get a mop and some disinfectant for the TV, and a barf bag for me!)

I do think that when someone writes with no regard for punctuation or for rules of grammar, that they are displaying very little respect for those whom they expect to read their writings. Look at this forum: we have guys on here who write cogent, well presented posts, contributing wonderful knowledge to this hobby community. Those same contributors will also present photographs and apologize for what they consider poor photography, which is better than what I can produce on my best day. These guys deserves some respect, especially if we come around here asking the favor of their advice or a sharing of their knowledge on a matter.

[Doneldon]

Hey, it doesn't have to be misspelled...maybe it means you're a detail man about the show "Frasier"!

Md-

But, if the reference was to Kelsey, Grammer would have been capitalized!

                                                                                                     -- D

[jward]

I got the veranda reference so i'll explain it.....

with the reference to banning u boats. u boat was the nickname for a whole series of general electric diesels. the verandas were gas turbines made by the same company.....

personally, from my experience many railroaders wished that the u boats and many other ge locomotives had been banned. they were notorious dogs, and many spent much of their lives parked due to high maintenance costs.