Great post, MMud. As to the throttle bit -- from what I recall of sitting in cabs of some museum queens, the reverse lever on a steam locomotive is completely separate from the throttle: to apply power in reverse requires you to throw the reverse lever AND open the throttle. So if he was pulling the desperation move of reversing power, as the investigators apparently were convinced, he would have had the throttle open. Not likely that he was still in position with his hand on the thing, though... I agree, a bit of heroic-sounding poetic license but with some basis in reality.
-HM, fellow steam buff