This Old Engine Makes It On Time

This Grateful Dead original song tells the least accurate story about Casey Jones and is hardly worth mentioning for historical reference. From that perspective, it is unfortunately perhaps the most popular modern incarnation of the tale.

For starters, alcohol was the drug of choice at the time, not cocaine, and there is no record of Casey using either at the time of the incident.

The song continues, "Trouble ahead, trouble behind." Trouble ahead, yes, a disabled freight train on the tracks. Trouble behind? His record with the Illinois Central line shows nine suspensions for offenses including low-speed collisions, running through switches and "gross carelessness in handling orders." Yet, this was still considered to be a reasonably good record.

"Leaves Central Station about a quarter-to-nine ... at a quarter-to-ten you know it's drivin' again." Casey left Memphis' Poplar Street Station on his way to Canton, Mississippi, with a departure time of 12:50 AM. The accident occurred at 3:52 AM.

"Train 102 is on the wrong track and headed for you." Casey was in train No. 1, pulled by engine 382. The two other trains "involved" were both freight trains, the No. 83 and the No. 72. The No. 83 was the train Casey collided with. An air hose broke on the No. 72, which left it immobile thus blocking the No. 83 from pulling completely onto the sidetrack.

The Grateful Dead oft used trains as metaphors in the music they performed and their version of Casey Jones is chock full of its own metaphors, as well as cutesy little rhymes, which serve not to provide an accurate account of the event, but rather to appeal to the addled mind of the average Deadhead.