? "The Wreck of the Old 97"

Poetic license.

The song isn't meant to be an instruction on airbrakes.

Besides, unless the air was bled off slowly, any rapid reduction, say by an air hose breaking loose, would result in the train going into emergency.

Rusty

I agree with Rusty. I've never heard of "average" meaning loss of brake pressure--which would only serve to apply the brakes anyway.

I also suspect "see the jump he made" referes to the distance the train fell from the tracks.

"Scalded to Death by the Steam" is a great book.

The only way an engineer can "lose" his air is by his own incorrect actions. In the railroad business it is called "pi**ing away the air." It is caused by an engineer using the air brakes too many times in too short of a time span and not allowing the brakes to recharge.

In any case, this is a song and likely has very little to do with reality.

If you are interested in the wreck, I highly recommend tracking down a copy of "History of the Wreck of the Old 97" by G. Howard Gregory.  There is a lot of information on the wreck, the legend, and even interviews by witnesses who saw the wreck occur.

As said, don't put too much faith in the specifics of the song.

Kevin

Back in the "middle ages" when I was a kid in bed with either measles or chicken pox, I heard a radio drama about the "Old 97" wreck.  In that version, the wreck was caused by two escaped convicts who hopped the train between the tender and baggage car.  At one point when the train began to slow, they thought the police had been alerted. To keep the train from stopping, one of them closed the angle cock on the air line. 

Of course, that was pure fiction, but I've never forgotten that broadcast.  I wonder if there's a recording of it somewhere?

Kent Loudon

Perhaps it was during the "Straight Air" period?  It is my understanding that with "straight air", if there was an air hose separation, you lost all brakes.

Well now...I hadn't thought of that.

Good catch.

That period only lasted a few years, before Westinghouse invented the triple valve in 1872. The wreck of the Old 97 occured decades after the automatic air brake was developed.

http://www.blueridgeinstitute....llads/old97song.html

Orignal Lyrics, along with newspaper clippings.  The engineer was Joseph Broadie, suspected cause a broken wheel flange on the engine.  Estimated speed when she left the track was between 30 and 35 MPH.