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PeeWee · 07-25-2009, 09:34 AM

Recently my interest in railroads and trains has been rekindled. One of the most famous stories in books, song and legends is the engineer Casey Jones. A collison of historic proportions.

For future planning have any Airformers been to the museums or parks in Tennesse, or Mississippi that features the death of Casey Jones, and the train wreck heard around the world?

Here is the one website I found.

Casey Jones Railroad Museum State Park, Vaughan Mississippi All about Casey

Pee Wee

overlander63 · 07-25-2009, 10:50 AM

I highly recommend the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga. There is an outdoor museum with a train ride from the museum to the restoration shop area. While not directly about John Luther Jones, it is a nice museum. There are two KOA campgrounds near Chattanooga, the Chattanooga West campground is very nice, on top of a hill.
There is also Spencer Shops, in Spencer, North Carolina, if you get that far North.

Have you been to the Nevada Northern Museum?

soldiermedic · 07-25-2009, 10:54 AM

Well...we are taking a family vacation to Tennessee next month and will visit Nashville, Memphis, and our dear friend Sugarfoot in Chatanooga. Looks like another thing to add to the list.

Steve

3 Dog Nite · 07-25-2009, 12:51 PM

Stop by & see us. We offer coutesy parking with water, sewer, & 20 amp hookups. Only 25 miles from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Between exits 27 & 33 on I-75. Pets & Kids welcome.

Ricky

soldiermedic · 07-25-2009, 01:22 PM

Hey 3 Dog,

We might take you up on this for an evening. My main concern is not being able to use the AC with only 20 Amps. It will likely be very hot there in August. I know Sugarfoot and I were considering in hosting a small informal gathering for a couple nights while there...we shall keep you posted.

Steve

JimGolden · 07-25-2009, 03:34 PM

Well, it wasn't the one in TN, but last weekend my crew took the silver bullet up to Strasburg, PA, and went to the Strasburg railroad. They say it's the oldest continuous operation RR in the country; nonstop since 1832. And, I believe they have the biggest collection of operating steam engines in the world. It was really nice. We rode a 4-4-0 from about turn of the century. They had one real monster sitting there in the yard, a 1916 Baldwin 2-8-2. That baby must have been 20' tall and probably 70' long. What a monster!

www.strasburgrailroad.com

I never knew Casey Jones was for real. I thought it was just a story. I will have to head to TN and check that out. I actually bought my trailer in TN; town called Kingston about an hour from Knoxville.

see ya on the road,

Nuvite-F · 07-25-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I never knew Casey Jones was for real. I thought it was just a story. I will have to head to TN and check that out. I actually bought my trailer in TN; town called Kingston about an hour from Knoxville.

Oh, yeah, Casey Jones was a real person.

Wikipedia has a detailed writeup on him.

Casey Jones - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wingeezer · 07-25-2009, 05:45 PM

After 34 years working on Canadian National Railways, I've personally been to enough train wrecks thank you very much!

Just kiddin', although I did hold a position for four years during my career that required me to be on call 24/7 to attend major derailments on my territory and went to many.

Fortunately the good folks in the dept. I headed up were both dedicated and very knowlegeable and surely needed no input from me!!

My role boiled down to dealing with heads of other departments within the railroad to ensure my guys got what they needed to get the job done!

All said and done the railroad was a great place to work, and I still do enjoy visiting Railroad Museums when I get the chance, the last one I think was in Sacramento.

Brian.

PeeWee · 07-25-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

After 34 years working on Canadian National Railways, I've personally been to enough train wrecks thank you very much!

Just kiddin', although I did hold a position for four years during my career that required me to be on call 24/7 to attend major derailments on my territory and went to many.

Fortunately the good folks in the dept. I headed up were both dedicated and very knowlegeable and surely needed no input from me!!

My role boiled down to dealing with heads of other departments within the railroad to ensure my guys got what they needed to get the job done!

All said and done the railroad was a great place to work, and I still do enjoy visiting Railroad Museums when I get the chance, the last one I think was in Sacramento.

Brian.

Try the Sacramento, CA museum site. California State Railroad Museum Foundation - Welcome

They have one of the golden spikes from the meeting of the trans-continnental railways. There is another spike at Stanford University (Leland Stanford and his part of the cross-country railway) Several years ago there was an excellent PBS tour of the museum. It is one of the better railway museums.

Wingeezer · 07-25-2009, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeeWee

Try the Sacramento, CA museum site. California State Railroad Museum Foundation - Welcome

They have one of the golden spikes from the meeting of the trans-continnental railways. There is another spike at Stanford University (Leland Stanford and his part of the cross-country railway) Several years ago there was an excellent PBS tour of the museum. It is one of the better railway museums.

Yep, that was the one we visited - would you believe that we missed seeing the golden spike though? Oh well, a good reason to go back again!

Besides, we didn't have an Airstream last time, we had a Canadian made "Award" which was pretty nice too, but next time we can do it the right way!

Brian.

(PS I have my own "Gold plated spike", given to me upon retirement! )

Melody Ranch · 07-25-2009, 10:13 PM

For all Railroad fans....the big move to Frisco, Texas is coming. This is a once in a lifetime event with all this steam power on the move. Big Boy is coming too.

Museum of the American Railroad, Fair Park, Dallas, Texas

Come on Steve....this calls for a Rally.

"Big Boy" is the largest steam Locomotive built. (Appropriately, its in Texas.)

overlander63 · 07-25-2009, 10:44 PM

There's several museums in Southern California. One of them is Orange Empire Railway Museum. Among other really nice exhibits, it has a large streetcar museum, many of which are operable and operate, and most of Ward Kimball's Grizzly Flats railroad (Ward Kimball was Walt Disney's head animator for years). It also has the last operating GE U25B locomotive pulling a passenger train around the property.
Here's a picture of a hostler moving a cut of locomotives around the property while I sat in as conductor for the move.

PeeWee · 07-25-2009, 11:29 PM

Give some honor to true grit and one of the significant pioneers of the Wally Byam Caravan Club. Especially with the word fumes arising from Airforums.

Pop Riley was a full blown railroad engineer. Isn't tjat something? Here is a great Airstreamer, Arizonan, Caravanner, and American who really did take the train out of the station many times and could claim that he did and for all of the right reasons.

Pop can be remembered for his first year as President and so much more.

Kudos, not only to the history of the Club, but to a railroader that kept his road clear and his mind clear and focused.

stillcove · 07-26-2009, 06:32 AM

The museum in Water Valley, MS is where Casey Jones was a member of the local union. He drove the train from Water Valley to Memphis. Very much a daredevil! I happen to know this because my Grandfather, Charles David ran the train on the opposite trip and passed him on the tracks. When I was at the Water Valley station I found a picture of the local union with both of them on the picture. My grandfather and many other engineers are buried at the nearby cemetary where the local club still takes care of the gravesites.