Career
- Engineer — Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad
Biography
Eugene Riley was a locomotive engineer for the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad and was killed in the Budds Creek disaster near Palmyra, Tennessee. A resident of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Riley was at the throttle of the Louisville-bound No. 2 express train around 1 a.m. on July 28, 1869, when the bridge over Budds Creek gave way. The locomotive and several cars plunged into the creek bed, and the wreckage soon caught fire.
Steam escaping from the damaged boiler killed Riley and fireman Charles Shields. Five people ultimately died in the disaster. Riley left behind a wife and child. Contemporary accounts described him as “one of the most discreet engineers on the road he served” and said he “stood high in the estimation of all who knew him.” He was remembered as careful and rule-abiding, especially when operating over bridges and trestles.
After the wreck, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers honored Riley, and his sister, Maggie E. Riley, wrote a tribute poem in his memory.