IamNoMan
Well-known member
Bravo Rex. That was something else.
Good morning Seasonistas!
I do not know how many of you are history buffs like Iam. I like to post about historical events in song. Tommorrow March 14th is Casey Jones' Birthday. "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) from Jackson, Tennessee, was an American railroader who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. He was killed on April 30, 1900 when his train collided with a stalled freight train near Vaughan, Mississippi. His dramatic death while trying to stop his train and save the lives of his passengers made him a hero; he was immortalized in a popular ballad "The Ballad of Casey Jones", 1900, sung by his friend Wallace Saunders, an African-American engine wiper for the IC. The song tells the story better than I can. There is Truth in Folksong!
And he became a TV series .. I hadn't realised the history behind it. (And, no, I don't remember it the first time around!) Great song, and what on earth is an "engine wiper"?
Historically an Engineer is a steam engine operator. A "Wiper" is the the low man on the totem pole in an engine "room". A Wiper cleans the engine spaces and machinery, and assists the Engineer as directed. In England where railroading had its start; a Wiper is called a "Cleaner". It is an apprenticeship role to the "Oiler",
The "Oiler" is responsible for lubricating an engine or other piece of operating equipment. In 1872, Elijah McCoy patented an oil-drip cup lubrication system. It was so effective that railroad engine maintenance costs were reduced by about 25% In fact the system was so good that railroad engineers would request it by name, "the Real McCoy" system. Sadly for the workers this made the "Oiler" a redundant occupation, (except in "sailing ships"). Nowadays the Operating Engineer sees to the lubrication of his own Equipment. A D5 bulldozer requires lubrication at 16 points before starting up the engine each time, if memory serves.
"Play a Simple Melody" is a song from the 1914 musical, Watch Your Step, words and music by Irving Berlin.