12 episodes
City of the Rails iHeartPodcasts
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
4.8 • 852 Ratings
-
When journalist Danelle Morton’s daughter skips town to hop trains, she follows her into the train yard, and across America. Join Danelle as she travels the country to understand what drew her daughter into the hidden world of the railroads. Her guides are the rail cops, train engineers, and hobos she meets along the way, each of them with their own extraordinary tales of the beauty and brutality of the rails.
A mother/daughter story unfolds across a landscape of vast open spaces and filthy backstreets, as Morton learns how railroads shaped the modern world - from creating our time zones and QR codes, to the first lobbyists and unions.
The story of the rails is the story of America, and through 10 episodes, Morton reckons with our history, and her family history, as she tries what she can to bring her daughter home.
-
Living By The Tracks — E10
Danelle visits with a kindred spirit, and reckons with the past. Ruby and Danelle finally talk about it. Kiwi weighs in and looks back on Profane Sass. Danelle pursues several new leads. Plus CC Rider, a Western bar, and a road dog named Nikita.
Thank you for listening to Season One! We’ve got good things planned – stick around. And listen to The Yard: Songs Inspired by City of the Rails at aaronkaufmanmusic.com/theyard/
Danelle's playlist of modern hobo music at tinyurl.com/hobomusic
Want to stay in touch? Find us @flipturnpods and keep an eye on danellemorton.com. Have a question or comment? Leave us a voicemail. We’re keeping the lines open just for you.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Fire in New Orleans — E9
When a fire takes the lives of Ruby’s friends, Danelle realizes no one else will tell their stories. A reporting trip to New Orleans with Ruby presents Danelle with an opportunity to get closer, and get new answers. Members of hobo band Profane Sass help piece together events, journalist Chris Rose weighs in on New Orleans, and Danelle meets a survivor.
For biographies of the traveling kids and more on the squat fire, visit https://danellemorton.com/fire/
Want to see the warehouse? Check out @flipturnpods. Have a tip? It’s your last episode to call in! Our number’s in the credits.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
All The Livelong Day — E8
When the boss wants you gone, it’s only a matter of time, and this rolls out extra nastily on the railroad. In this episode, the story of Nickie Jackson, and how she was hounded by the railroad. Danelle digs deeper and Ruby tells her about a miracle.
Want to see Nickie? Check out @flipturnpods. Have a tip? Danelle’s gathering worker stories for a reporting series. Leave us a voicemail – our number’s in the credits.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Cops & Robbers — E7
Danelle heads to El Paso, Texas to get the lowdown on the rail cops – the private police with federal powers who report only to the railroads. In a border town, rail cops are the most powerful entities, but is that such a good thing? One dynamic duo shows Danelle how they tried to clean up the tracks, and how wild the rails still are, with Old West train raids, smugglers, and hobos all overlapping in this ultimate crossroads. Ruby calls with big news.
Want to see Colton? Check out @flipturnpods. Have a question or comment? Leave us a voicemail – our number’s in the credits.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Whistle Stop
We'll be right back. Thanks for all the love!
Danelle's playlist of modern hobo music here: https://tinyurl.com/hobomusic
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
The Comfort Offensive — E6
Ruby is coming home for Christmas, and Danelle has a plan to try to get her to stay — before she has to move out of her apartment. Danelle meets Cary Westcott, who walked through hell trying to find his daughter on the rails, and managed to bring her back home, to mixed results. The holidays are bumpy but hopeful, and Danelle discovers the Barn. Then, it's off to Texas.
Danelle's playlist of modern hobo music here: https://tinyurl.com/hobomusic
Want to see Colton? Check out @flipturnpods. Have a question or comment? Leave us a voicemail – our number’s in the credits.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Customer Reviews
Secretly scary
Listens like a thriller for anyone that’s been a teen punk that tried to do anything cool without their parents and felt like their parents were looking over their shoulder the whole time
Low Journalistic Integriry
Danelle Morton fabricated her daughter’s story for the purposes of manipulating the audience into having a personal connection to this podcast. There is plenty of interesting subject matter here. However to base the entire series on the fiction of this mother/daughter relationship makes you question what else is false.
Editorializing teenage disdain for modernity
If you’re interested in listening to a journalist play a concerned mother and editorialize why her daughter might have possibly run off to be a train hopper, all while trying to immerse herself into what you can tell she thinks is a hip, counter culture, then you’ll love this pod. To everyone else, just do what this parent didn’t and realize peer groups have the biggest influence on adolescents and while being open to people is virtuous, maybe don’t glorify your child’s dissent into a counter culture as a hip, coming of age story you can write about and capitalize on…one which gives you an excuse to say pig with wings over and over.
Top Podcasts In Society & Culture
You Might Also Like