One For The Road: Happy Birthday, Casey Jones

By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 14, 2012 10:40PM

America's most well-known train conductor Casey Jones was born on this date in 1863. Jones started working for the Illinois Central Railroad in 1888 and ran service around Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. But of course Jones is best known for how he died.

He was operating a passenger train on the "Cannonball Express" route, a 188-mile stretch between Memphis and Canton, Miss. He took an extra run on the evening on April 29, and he tried to keep the train from Chicago on schedule. He sped along the route, not knowing that a local freight train had stalled on the tracks. The Tribune writes:

Rounding the long curve above town at an estimated 75 mph, he saw the red marker lights of the train's caboose too late to do anything but throw his engine into reverse, yell for his fireman to jump and hold fast to his own brake to reduce his speed.

Casey slowed to perhaps 40 mph, then plowing through the caboose and three freight cars, rolled his locomotive into an embankment. The passenger cars were merely jolted and remained on the track.

The story has been a permanent part of American folklore ever since. Be sure to read the Tribune's piece retracing the trail in 2000. There was a television show about Jones, starring Alan Hale (aka The Skipper), and of course a dozen songs including Johnny Cash's "Casey Jones." Below is a video of Cash performing it on a Dutch television show. The Disney version of Casey Jones's story is below, too. Keep in mind Disney typically makes a happier ending than the real story.