Bob Gray

Bob Grey is a retired railroad engineer of the Columbus and Greenville Railway in Mississippi. Bob is an avid live steamer. He has been attending meetings at the Annetta Valley & Western Railroad in Texas for over 40 years. AV&W's Grey Yard is named in honor of Bob Grey.

Bob owns an 0-6-0 switcher in 1.5 inch scale built by Paul Brien.

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  Bob Grey with his 0-6-0 switcher #1079. The locomotive was built by Paul F. Brien in 1970. This photo was taken at the Annetta Valley & Western Meet, April 2013. Photo by Daris A Nevil.

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  Bob & Louise Grey of Mississippi celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at the Annetta Valley & Western Railroad Spring 2008 meet.

Stamey Loop

Bob's experience as an engineer on a full-scale railroad really shows out on the 7-1/2 inch gauge track. An example of his skill at the throttle was shown at the Spring 2013 meet of the AV&WRR. The track at AV&WRR has very little grade, with the exception of the newly added Stamey Loop, which climbs 3% coming out of the loop and into a curve.

He put together a 12-car train, with 3 riding adults, behind his beautiful 0-6-0. We didn't think he would make it out of Stamey Loop. He didn't on the first try, his drivers just started spinning. So he slowly backed up half way back up the hill, then took a running start. He came flying around the corner, and steadily climbed up the hill and out of the loop. It was a sight to see. Dick Melcher and Daris Nevil witnessed the event from the Shady Rest siding.

Movie Role

Bob played an uncredited part in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". He appears as the fireman in the locomotive at the opening of the movie.

Bob Grey sits in the fireman's seat in this frame from the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", 2000.

Stan Garner, Train Coordinator for the production company, describes the filming of the train scene as follows:

The train is featured in the opening sequence. It was shot on the Columbus & Greenville Railway near Leland, MS and consists of Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad Locomotive #4 from North Dardanelle, Arkansas (Baldwin 2-6-2 built in 1913, W.T. Carter & Brother #4, Reader RR #4). The stock car (CB&Q), tank car (Superior Oil) and outside braced box car (NP) came from the Texas State Railroad at Rusk Texas. The hopper car, steel box car and flat car are from the C&G Railway and the wood caboose is from the Reader Railroad at Reader, Arkansas. Everything, except the C&G equipment, was brought to the C&G at Greenville, MS by truck.