"The Wreck of the Virginian" is an American folk song by

Blind Alfred Reed Blind Alfred Reed (June 15, 1880 – January 17, 1956) was an American folk, country, and old-time musician and singer-songwriter. He was one of the artists who recorded at the Bristol Sessions in 1927, alongside more famous names such as Jim ...

recorded on July 28, 1927. The song describes a

train wreck A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acci ...

Ingleside, West Virginia Ingleside is an unincorporated community in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. Ingleside is located on Interstate 77 and West Virginia Route 112 and is south of Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Pr ...

. The lyrics, which are essentially documentary, describe how, on "a bright Spring morning on the twenty-fourth of May," 1927, the engineer, E. G. Aldrich of

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

, known as "Dad," and his fireman, Frank M. O'Neill of

Pax, West Virginia Pax is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The current mayor of Pax is William F. Hughes. The population was 167 at the 2010 census. The community most likely derives its name from nearby Packs Branch creek. Geography Accord ...

, running train number three, "left Roanoke en route for Huntington." Then, "at eleven fifty-two that day, they just left Ingleside," when "an east-bound freight crushed into them." and they were both killed. The song also notes that "Dad" Aldritch had been an engineer on the line since 1906. The two trains met in a head-on collision. Aldrich and O'Neill were scalded to death by the steam of their

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

as it crawled up and over the electric locomotive hauling the freight train. None of the cars of either train derailed, but due to the sudden stop, 20 passengers were injured, none of them seriously. Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong by Norm Cohen, David Cohen (Urbana : University of Illinois Press, 2000) Reed recorded the song on July 28, 1927 in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...

, for

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...

producer

Ralph Peer Ralph Sylvester Peer (May 22, 1892 – January 19, 1960) was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote rec ...

as part of the legendary Bristol Sessions.Johnson, David W. "Did Bristol Sessions Produce Country Music's 'Big Bang'?" Knight Ridder Tribune News Service: 1 July 2002. The song was originally released as Victor 20836 on September 16, 1927. It can also be heard on Reed's album ''Complete Recorded Works, 1927-29''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wreck of the Virginian, The American folk songs Blind Alfred Reed songs Mercer County, West Virginia Songs about trains Train wreck ballads Songs about West Virginia 1927 songs