A 120 Year Old Legend

To me, Casey is overrated.  His train running style seems to parallel Maverick from TOP GUN.  The night of the wreck he seemed to break many safety rules.

@Dominic Mazoch posted:

To me, Casey is overrated.  His train running style seems to parallel Maverick from TOP GUN.  The nigjt of the wreck he seemed to break many safety rules.

Something that you have to take into account is that, historically, regions of a rail line did not have speed restriction. For example, Milwaukee RR in the 1930s, and the C&O around the same time period. With that said, that is what is the case with Casey. He was in an area that had no restrictions and was given the word of a clear line. Yes, I can see how you feel about how his story is overrated but his name would not have been even known if it was not for the song. Finally, yes he possibly broke a lot of rules but also keep in mind that a lot of rules, that we know of, were not made when he made his run. He was just doing his job and happenstance became famous from a song about him, but we all have our own opinions.

When he got his train, it was late.  I think he was almost OT at the point of the wreck.  Did the IC offer engineers a bonus to put a late train OT?  

I think the only thing was a solid pat on the back and a train full of happy passengers. If I was Casey and if I missed colliding with the freight train, I would ask for a bonus and a week off with pay. 

From what I have seen on the net, CJ did get time off several times for rule infractions.

Plus, the report was done by the IC, not the ICC.  So an in house report could raise eyebrows.

Maybe a lesson from this SAFETY OVER SCHEDULE.

It's all summed up at the bottom of the report from the Illinois Central's files:

"As shown above, Engineer Jones was solely responsible for the collision by reason of having disregarded the signal given by flagman Newberry."

Rusty

Interesting read.

Worth remembering that victors and survivors get to write the history.

In addition, dead men can't defend themselves.

Andre

@laming posted:

 

Worth remembering that victors and survivors get to write the history.

 

Andre

As were Eddie Newton, Wallace Saunders and T. Lawrence Seibert, the composers of the ballad.

Rusty

Casey's fireman, Simm Webb, lived another 58 years.

@laming posted:

. . . dead men can't defend themselves.

Andre

You hit the nail on the head, Andre.

There is no proof to corroborate anybody's story.  My personal opinion is that there is a good chance that the freight train crew did not properly flag to the rear, and that they lied about it, since the only survivor on the engine crew of the passenger train was Simeon Webb, a black fireman in Mississippi in 1900.  What do you think his chances of living, even until the following day, would have been if he had said that the all-white rear end crew of the freight train had not properly flagged?

Let's not get sidetracked on race.  My point is that there are good opinions that Jones disregarded the flagman's signals, and others that the freight crew was short-flagging.  No genuine evidence exists, as to the cause of the wreck.  The investigation of the accident was less than thorough, and numerous witnesses may have lied, or maybe they did not.  Better investigation could have supported or discredited the testimony of witnesses.

The thing to remember was that it was a different time with a different mindset.  If Casey Jones had avoided the wreck he would have brought his train in on time, and would have for a few moments probably would have been a hero.  Rules intended to promote safety could more often be ignored if it meant better performance and if there were no adverse consequences.  

Just look at what happened with Southern's Fast Mail in 1903.  The line from Monroe to Spencer contained a number of grades, curves and bridges which required lower speed for safe operations.  Yet when the Fast Mail arrived in Monroe an hour late they thought nothing of telling the engineer to bring the train in on time.  That demand meant the train would have to run at an average speed of 51 mph over a route where the scheduled average speed was 39.  As the train approached Danville it left the track, plunged into a ravine and the Legend of Old 97 was born. 

Of course after the fact Southern denied it had ordered the engineer to make up time and put the blame on the engineer.

This was a time in railroading where one could say:  Unsafe at any speed.  We have come a long way.  However, the ink used to write the railroad rules is blood.

90:

Is it possible CJ was running so fast that the crew of the freight did not have time to walk at night to the proper distance?