Charley Pratt

Charley Pratt is the loyal engineer of the Hooterville Cannonball and along with his train partner Floyd Smoot are responsible for the train's continued service and well being.

Behind the Scenes
Charley was played by Smiley Burnette. After Smiley's death in 1967, Charley's character was retired and Floyd was made both the conductor and engineer of the Cannonball until he too was replaced by Wendell Gibbs (played by Byron Foulger). Floyd would then return for two more appearances. Charley's fate was never directly stated onscreen, but in the episode "Its Not Easy to Be a Mother" Floyd solemnly expresses that he still likes to call to the engine and pretend that Charley is still there waiting for him to which Kate responds with a solemn pat of understanding, indicating that Charley's character died as well and there were no intentions to bring him back with a new actor, likely out of respect for Smiley. Last time Charley was mentioned was in "Last Train to Pixley" after Floyd's retirement, where Sam Drucker reminisced about the days when Charley and Floyd used to fish in Willow Creek.