Saved By a Rabbit's Foot

The Rabbit's Foot That Saved a Train

A lucky rabbit's foot, a piece of folklore believed to bring good fortune, saved an entire train from a major accident. The original story was first reported by the New York Sun in the year 1908. When interviewed by the newspaper, the unnamed train engineer recounted the day his good luck charm earned its keep.

"A foot from the left hind of a good and clever rabbit, when consistently doing its job, is of great benefit," the engineer stated. "I have one that I always carry in my inside jumper pocket. I ran over a rabbit one day and in the process, its left hind leg was cut off and tossed through the cabin window, landing in my lap. It would have been too much like tempting fate to let a good thing like that pass by, so I've carried it with me on my runs ever since."

The engineer explained that one day, his train had stopped at a junction to get water, and a few of the boys from the roundhouse were teasing him about his superstition. "They didn't believe I put so much faith in it," he said. "You can all tease me as much as you like, but I'll be frank—I wouldn't like to go out on the road without my lucky charm in my pocket," the engineer replied to the group. Then they wanted to have a look at it. After they had all passed it around, it was time for the train to leave. In a hurry, the engineer carelessly stuffed the rabbit's foot into an outside pocket of his jumper. 

The train, pulled by engine 1327, was a heavy one, but it was on time and running well. "The 1327 was working her best, and we were sailing along like an ice yacht in a 40-mile gale," the engineer recounted. He continued, "As we went around a curve, the train slipped and hobbled for a second like someone stepping on a banana peel." He eased back on the throttle and stuck his head out the window to see what was causing the unsteadiness. As he did, the train lurched, and he felt the rabbit's foot slide out of his pocket. He made a grab for it, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. It landed on the running board just outside of the train cab. He leaned out the window to get it, but it felt like some mysterious force was working against him. The foot bounced off the running board, hitting the ballast before landing on one side of the track.

The engineer quickly decided he wasn't going to lose his good luck charm and put on the air brakes, bringing the train to a halt. As soon as it stopped, he dropped down from the running board to get the foot. By this point, both the passengers and crew were curious about the sudden stop. Conductor Jim Spratt asked what was going on, and the engineer just told him he had dropped something of great value and needed to pick it up. A man in one of the Pullmans overheard his answer and chimed in, "Hey, old sport, I dropped a toothpick from the dining car back there. Would you mind backing up to get it for me? We're not in a hurry to get in, and all this 'railroading' is tiring me out."

The engineer didn't respond but quickly got the train moving again. They had only been moving for a short time at about eight miles an hour when the engineer heard a crashing of the ties, which was followed by the train listing to one side. Because they were moving so slowly, they were able to stop in a very short distance. The engineer dropped down to the ground again and, upon inspecting the track, found a broken rail. The engineer concluded his account by asking, "Now wasn't that nice work for that rabbit's foot?"