"The Brave Engineer" is a Walt Disney animated short about the legendary Casey Jones. This is one of several cartoon shorts made by the Disney studios over the years that celebrate American legends. Some such legends are myths but others are based on real people. Casey Jones was one of them. He was a railroad engineer who became famous after his fatal train crash of April 30, 1900. He was immortalized by a 1909 song, "The Ballad of Casey Jones."
This cartoon short focuses on Jones's reputation for being on-time with train schedules. In many instances, he made up considerable time when incoming trains had fallen way behind schedule. In one scene in this short, Jones rescues a damsel in distress. That is a parody of a real-life incident in which Jones stood on the outside front of his engine and pulled a little girl off the tracks, keeping her from being run over by the train.
Jones worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and operated trains in the South, from Tennessee to Louisiana. The Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum is located in Jackson, Tenn. Water Valley, Miss. Has a Casey Jones Railroad Museum, and the Casey Jones State Park is located in Vaughan, Miss.
