Casey Jones

... is probably the most famous in a long line of heroic locomotive engineers who have died in the course of their duty. But it was only in the 1950s television series, which was very loosely based on his life, that he drove a train specifically named the Cannonball Express. The legend of "Casey at the throttle of the Cannonball Express" actually began in a song that was written by his friend Wallace Saunders, an African-American engine wiper (cleaner) for the Illinois Central Railroad.

Jonathan Luther Jones was born in 1863, in Missouri. When he was a little boy, the family moved to Cayce, Kentucky. Cayce was pronounced 'Casey', and John became known by the name of the town that he grew up in; he chose to spell it 'Casey', and that's how he became Casey Jones.

At the age of 15, Casey Jones moved to Columbus, Kentucky, and began working as a telegrapher for the Mobile and Ohio railway. In 1884 he moved to Jackson, Tennessee, where he was promoted to the position of flagman. He earned a reputation as an engineer who would always stay on schedule, even if it meant pushing the train to great and sometimes dangerous speeds – a trait that made him a popular member of staff. The public began to recognize him for the "whippoorwill call" that he would make on the engine's whistle while driving through towns.

On 30 April 1900, Jones volunteered to work a double shift to cover for a fellow engineer who'd been suddenly taken ill. He completed a run from Canton, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee, and was then faced with the task of returning to Canton. He was accompanied on board Engine No. 1 by fireman Sim Webb. The train was originally running more than an hour and a half behind, and Jones, determined to arrive as scheduled, ran the steam locomotive at speeds nearing 100 miles per hour in an effort to make up the time.

As Jones took a turn into Vaughan, Mississippi, Webb warned him that there was another train parked on the tracks ahead of them. As quickly as he could, Jones grabbed the brake with one hand and pulled the whistle with the other in an attempt to warn those around the train. He turned to Webb and told him to jump to safety, but he himself continued to do his utmost to slow the train.

The collision was brutal. All passengers on the train survived, but Casey Jones was struck in the throat. When his body was removed from the wreckage, the recovery workers found one hand still holding the brake and the other on the whistle.

It was shortly after Casey Jones's death that Wallace Saunders wrote The Ballad of Casey Jones in tribute. In about 1902, the song was adapted by songwriter William Leighton and sold to vaudeville artists. It became extremely popular, making Casey Jones an American legend. To this day, Jones's name is synonymous with America's great steam era.

Jones's last fatal run, from Memphis to Canton, was one link of a four–train run from Chicago to New Orleans – the so–called "cannonball" passenger run. "Cannonball" was a generic term that was applied in those days to fast mail and passenger trains; it wasn't actually the name of the train or the locomotive that Casey Jones was driving.

This question should maybe have included the words "in the 1950s television series"; the fact that it didn't, suggests that the setter may be slightly confused about what is fact and what is fiction.