Hey fellas
today marks the 120th anniversary of Casey Jones' last ride.
April 29th, 1900.
Engineer John Luther Jones, better known as Casey Jones, of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, had just pulled in with train #1 into Memphis, Tennessee with his engine #382 (a Rogers 4-6-0 built in 1898). While he was asleep, the yard foreman woke him up and told him that the engineer of the Cannonball Express train had fallen ill and asked if he could cover the shift. After saying yes, Casey got ready and he, along with his african american fireman, Sim Webb, got aboard engine #382, coupled up to the Cannonball, and highballed it to New Orleans.