In 1996 (I think it was), on a trip to the Boy Scout National Jamboree at Ft. A. P. Hill south of Washington, DC, we stopped in Jackson, TN, to let our 15 Scouts tour the Casey Jones Museum. All their elementary school years they had sung the Ballad of Casey Jones, never knowing the man and the event were real. On our way back to Dallas several days later, we let the boys talk us into stopping at a Hooters in Charlotte, NC. (We thought if people can take their wives and grannies there, we can take the boys.) The troop marched in in full Scout uniform; all were perfect gentlemen. We told their parents when we got back in town. No one objected. We also toured the foundry that makes axes for the BSA. Each Scout got a free hand axe. It was a fantastic trip.
My mother's father and father's father both were employed for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the steam locomotive "heyday" if you would. This song commemorates those days!! God bless your soul Johnny Cash and may you rest in peace.
Johnny Cash's rendition is the best. I'm a retired conductor, 43 years. We had an engineer named Steve. To bust his chops we would play "The Wreck of Ol' 97 "over the PA system.
@@DixieRailfanner6133 The railroad had its ups and downs. I started as a tower man with the Erie-Lackawanna, transferred to train service when the towers were closed in favor of remote operations. The Con-Rail days were terrible so I transferred to NJ Transit in 1987. Steady hours, good pay and benefits. I worked a lot of non passenger as well as passenger assignments. I was a union officer for 11 years and terminal president for BRCF for 20 years. Retired as a conductor May 1, 2013.
@@DixieRailfanner6133 When a good friend of mine died, in a tiny one room cabin, his Saxophone was leaning up against the stove. When I moved into that same cabin, about a week after Billy Kevany's death, another late friend of mine had a Saxophone player do a loud rendition of "Melancholy Baby" from the top on 99 stairs in that Echo Park shack. I hid under the covers that whole night. Bastards.
In all my nearly 50 years Ive never hear anyone come close to singing or telling stories like Johnny Cash He was truly a legend and an icon who will always be loved and missed and whos music will live on for generations to come
Im 61 and baby sit in rural s.dak.when i was 14.grew up with sat.night live.best thing in the world.god bless the whole crew and loren micheal.brillany satire.😊😊😊😊
If you search on RU-vid you can hear original recording of Casey's fireman Slim. As a kid I thought they had more time from seeing the train to impact. But listening to Slim describe the event, it seems it was only seconds from sighting the train to impact.
@@natejones902 I got a chuckle out of that, since when I was a kid I thought it was 'Slim' as well. A nickname in the same spirit as 'Sport" or "Slick" or "Junior".
This is probably the closest thing to a recreation of Casey's wreck on film that I've been able to find. I wish someone would make a high-budget docudrama about his life with real steam locomotives. If it were restored, I think Texas & Pacific 316 would make a decent stand-in for 382, or maybe Nevada Northern 40.
Actually Clinchfield railroad #99 is dolled up as 382 she would work she's the closest thing we got of the original 382 The only noticeable things is the roof, Valve gear and wheel spacing between each set of drivers.
C&NW 1385 4-6-0 ALCO 1907, was used in a different music video 📹; but built 7 years after CANNONBALL wreck!! I.C.RR. 382 had regular D valves above pistons. Yet CNW 1385 still has Moderne Spool valves slanted in below Smokebox. Also I.C. 382 had 69" D. Drivers. While 1385 has 63" D. Drivers. Layer donated to the MID-CONTINENT RR MUSEUM in North Freedom near Wisconsin Dells!! In 1982 to 1986 the 1385 was repaired in Green Bay Wisconsin at the CNW Roundhouse and used on many different excursions around the Midwest of Wisconsin and Illinois. And since 2001 (?) is rebuilt with 100% BRAND NEW WELDED BOILER!!!!! 1385 might run soon in 2024A.D.!!-! ALL ABOARD.!! HIGHBALL 👋 TOOT-TOOT!!
My friend Scott's grandpa was a yard bull for the Southern Railroad in the Spencer yard. He was feared by the 'bos and tuned up plenty of them for destroying Railroad property
Come on you rounders if you wanna hear The story about a brave engineer Casey Jones was the roller's name On a 6-8-wheeler course he rode to fame Caller called Casey about half past four. He kissed his wife at the station door. He climbed in the cabin with his orders in his hand. Said, "This is the trip to the Promised Land." [Chorus] Casey Jones climbed in the cabin. Casey Jones orders in his hand Casey Jones leaning out the window Taking a trip to the Promised Land [Verse 2] Through South Memphis Yards on a fly Rain been a-falling and the water was high Everybody knew by the engine's moan That the man at the throttle was Casey Jones Well, Jones said, "Fireman, don't you fret" Sim Webb said, "I ain't a-giving up yet" We're eight hours late with the southbound mail Be on time or we're leaving the rails. [Chorus] Casey Jones climbed in the cabin Casey Jones orders in his hand Casey Jones leaning out the window Taking a trip to the Promised Land [Verse 3] Dead on the rail was a passenger train Blood was a-boiling in Casey's brain Casey said, "Hey, look out ahead. Jump, Sim, jump or we'll all be dead" With a hand on a whistle and a hand on a brake North Mississippi was wide awake. IC Railroad official said, "He's a good engineer to be a-laying dead." They give him his orders at Monroe, Virginia Sayin', "Steve, you're way behind time. This is not '38, this is old '97 Put her into Spencer on time." Well, he turned and said to his big greasy fireman. Hey, shovel on a little more coal. And when we cross that white oak mountain Watch old '97 roll. It's a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville In a line on a three-mile grade It was on that grade that he lost his airbrakes See what a jump he made! He was going down the grade makin' 90 miles an hour And a whistle broke into a scream. He was found in the wreck, with his hand on the throttle Scalded to death by the steam Now all you ladies you better take a warning From this time on and learn Never speak harsh words to your true lovin' husband He may leave you and never return.
The thing about "The wreck of 97" that the song doesn't tell is the the brass hats forced the engineers on "fast mail" trains to take risks to make up time - because the railroad would face a penalty for every minute the mail was late
There is a beautiful children’s book, “Casey Jones’s Fireman: The Story of Sim Webb” written by Nancy Farmer illustrated by James Bernardin. It fictionalizes the story of Sim Webb (and yes, he really was black) in a wonderful way.
@@sheilatrachtenberg8997 I understand that Casey's wife Janie didn't like one of the version's of the song about him. I understand that she ran a boarding house for some years
I love storytelling songs. Johnny is gone, but the bass singer with Voiceplay (Geoff "Jeff" Castellucci) is doing his bit to keep the old ballads fresh and heard on his solo channel - see this month's release of Big Iron at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v9RGO8IVO6g.html (Read his video description for details.)
Casey Jones What about these lyrics? Casey’s wife sat on her bed ah cryin Got a message that old Casey was dyin She said “Hush you children And hold your breath ‘Cause we’re gonna draw a pension From you Daddy’s death.” Ballad Casey said, right before he died “There’s a few more rails that I’d like ride…” The fireman asked “Boy what can that be?” “But the Sothern Pacific” “And the Santa Fe.” Ballad
In the true story of Casey Jones, he practically threw his fireman off the train, the fireman said that he heard the whistle blow non stop from the second he left the train to the second jones hit the caboose on the stopped train. When they cleared the wreckage. Casey's body was still jammed into his seat and his hand was still holding the brakes
The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore not like they did back in 1954, still get far away look in my eye, when I hear an old train in the night!
Growing up in Danville, VA I walked that rail line. The only thing left is the rail bed. Walked it from Mt. Hermon all the way into town to the sign that still marks the wreck site (near my aunt’s house). Found a railroad spike but lost it a very long time ago…
Im pretty sure that your right, the film used many locomotives, and I do believe that the train used for IC 382 was S&A 750 as when you look at the video and look at a picture I found, the wheels with the whitewall matched, and the gold bands on the dome look the same so I do believe your right
It was. First thing I noticed when one could see the rooster comb smoke lifter whilst he was kissing his wife at the station door. Once they showed the engine running it confirmed it. The whistle sounds match two. Behind it is an SR water canteen following by Atlanta Chapter Club Car (ex-Southern baggage car) 4061, “QUEEN & CRESCENT CLUB”, plus another club owned baggage car. A 1080 series Southern steam programme coach is on the rear. The first whistle may be 290’s, and the “Ol 97” bit sounds like 750’s 5 chime.
Yeah, but speed also has to be factored in, the 97' wreck probably would have been avoided completely if Brody was going at an safe speed sadly he wasn't, he was going down the grade at a higher speed than he should have, and he was new to Southern Railway's tracks so he didnt know the still house trestle was up ahead, so when he took that turn, of course SR #1102 and it's cars jumped the tracks leading to the now infamous wreck, as for Casey, he was exceeding safe speeds too, trying to make up time, of course brakes were applied and I believe that it might have affected a little bit in slowing down the train but weight also has to factored in so, if the brakes were used, they might not have been able to slow it in time to avoid the crash
The other wreck was the wreck of the old 97'- Danville VA in September of 1903, the song was the first song on the American music market to sell over 1 million copies (according to a video I watched by the NCTM), it was a famous wreck in which the engineer [Steve Brody] was running a mail train over safe speeds towards Spencer NC- hours behind, he was going to fast and plunged off the stillhouse trestle in Danville
