Wood Carving Unveiled in TravelTown

Councilmember Tom LaBonge and chainsaw artist Casey McCaughn unveiled a new sculpture today of legendary railroad engineer Casey Jones at the Travel Town Transportation Museum in Griffith Park.
Ms. McCaughn who carved the sculpture from the trunk of a single redwood tree, worked the entire piece on site over a period of three months during the summer and autumn. The five-foot-two-inch local artist carved the two-story-high statue using a chain saw. She also bore all costs of the creation and donated the statue to the city. The Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioner accepted the donation of the statue on Dec. 9. “It has been an amazing process to watch this sculpture evolve from the trunk of a huge tree over the past several months,” Councilmember LaBonge said. “Casey has done a wonderful job and made a significant contribution to the Travel Town Museum.” The statue is the newest addition to the Travel Town Transportation Museum, which strives to preserve and celebrate the railroad heritage of the American West. Casey Jones became an American legend when he died saving a trainload of passengers and crew from a train crash in 1900. Joining Councilmember LaBonge were Ms. McCaughn and students from Our Mother of Good Counsel School in Los Feliz.