Wreck of the 1256, The

DESCRIPTION: "On that cold and dark cloudy evenin', Just before the close of day, There came Harry Lyle and Dillard." An accident causes their train to fall into the James River. Lyle, with a head wound, dies in the cabin. Railroad men are warned of their danger
AUTHOR: Carson J. Robison (writing as Carlos B. McAfee)
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: train wreck death warning
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 3, 1925 - On a cold night, the 1256 hits a rockslide and is pitched into the James River. Engineer Harry Lyle is killed; crewman Sydney Dillard is saved by hoboes
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cohen-LongSteelRail, pp. 240-242, "The Wreck of the 1256" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lyle-ScaldedToDeathByTheSteam, pp. 102-109, "The Wreck of the 1256" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11528
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "The Wreck of the 1256" (Columbia 15034-D [as by Al Craver], 1925)
NOTES [47 words]: It is somewhat ironic to note that, although this song was about a real incident, and the recording of it sold well, it does not seem to have gone into tradition, whereas such fictional Robison songs as "The Wreck of Number Nine" [Laws G26] and "Zeb Tourney's Girl" [Laws E18] did. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.6
File: LSRai240

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