February 7, 2024 • 12 mins
City of the Rails passes a million downloads! Cause for a celebration, and a chance to thank all of you who sent so much love. To mark this big achievement, we made a bonus episode featuring just some of the hundreds of voicemails we got from people who adored the show (and also a few from some who didn't like it).
Big question: Where's Season 2? We didn't get renewed for a second season, but we're trying to find a podcast home for the next chapter in this story: The Railroad Murders.
And we're still working on the railroad. Check out Danelle's investigative work with a team from ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/series/train-country
Want to stay in touch? Find us @flipturnpods and keep an eye on danellemorton.com. Have a question or comment? Leave us a voicemail at (707) 653-0339. We’re keeping the lines open just for you.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nielle.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Look, just did I give you a ring from Australia
where I've been listening to that fantastic story of yours
and your beautiful writing. I've enjoyed it enormously and it
reminds me so much of the time when I was
on the road lost in America. I did ride a
number of trains and set in a number of box
(00:20):
cars along the way anyway, I thought I'd just play
you one of the songs that I used to play
a lot when I was around.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Right here it cars.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Thank you Australian fan for that great Harmonica solough that
brings us back to the City of the Rails, which
just passed a million downloads, one million amazing. In honor
of this, we decided to celebrate you, guys, the audience,
hundreds of thousands of you were drawn to this unusual
story set in a world most of you had seen
(00:59):
but ever thought about. You left us some incredible voicemails.
I'm Dannelle Morton and this is our bonus episode to
thank the fans of the City of the Rails.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Hi, this is Dino. Hey, I just finished with what
I know is is the final episode of City of
the rails and holy crap, I used to live in Colton,
you know. I have been over that Rancho off ramp
and always looked down and saw encampments of tents and
people hanging out down there, and I'm like, oh, you know, jeez,
poor homeless people. And then you know, it all clicked.
(01:34):
And same with the Pepper streets. You just enlightened me
to the Colton scene, which I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about. Man,
I just could not stop listening to your podcast two
thirty in the morning. I'm up, I gotta listen more.
I gotta here, I gotta get addicted, absolutely got addicted.
Speaker 6 (01:59):
Hi.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I just wanted to say I've been really enjoying the
podcast forty year old Marine mechanic renching on boats over
in Rhode Island in the middle of the winter.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Really and enjoy your work.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
It's visceral.
Speaker 8 (02:13):
It really is well done.
Speaker 9 (02:16):
First and foremost, I just want to say that I'm
a prolific reader.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I love watching movies and very very rarely do I
go back.
Speaker 8 (02:24):
And experience something more than once to I just started
my third time listening to this program.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Of these episodes, this podcast today and I'll find it phenomenal.
Speaker 10 (02:40):
Hey, I'm calling from s Water, Minnesota, and I just
want to praise you and your whole crew.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm an uber driver among other things.
Speaker 10 (02:51):
It's like my third job. But you know, I listen
to you while I'm driving, and I have passengers get
super into your podcast. They don't always get into my podcast,
but yours.
Speaker 7 (03:00):
They love.
Speaker 10 (03:01):
It's interesting, and I think it's brilliant to bring on
subjects that we don't know.
Speaker 11 (03:07):
About, those average, you know, American here right in front
of our face.
Speaker 10 (03:11):
You guys to bring it in this world.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Not all of you loved it unconditionally, though. We got
criticized for not identifying queer writers.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Who do you want to talk to about queer relationships
on the rails, Because I know you said that like
most people will hook up with like most women will
hook up with a man for like safety and companionship
on the royals, But what about queer people, because I'm sure,
I'm sure clear relationships are also existing there.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Others asked if this world was different for writers of color.
Speaker 12 (03:45):
I think it's really interesting about the subcultures and kind
of like the freedom connected with just this hobo like lifestyle.
Something I am kind of curious about I'm a black man,
and I'm wondering, like what the kind of racial makeup
of the like kind of hobo camps and the what
kind of hobo community is because a friend and I
were talking about it, and it kind of seems that
like being an invisible kind of vagrant seems like that
(04:07):
would be kind of like privilege, like a privileged like
white thing.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And one daughter of a rail cup felt we glorified
something that is incredibly dangerous.
Speaker 9 (04:17):
People jumping the rails is a big problem, and you
want to glorify.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
That life.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
Yes, you do show there are some downsides to it,
but you make it seem very attractive. I just think
that you haven't done justice to the other side.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Of just one listener didn't want me, someone from outside
this secret world to tell this story at all.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I don't think you're a good journalist.
Speaker 12 (04:46):
I think you're an outsider and you can go fuck yourself.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
There were also messages from writers and near writers for
whom the podcast made them want to take to the rails.
Speaker 8 (05:00):
I just want to say that I really really do
enjoy your podcast and I connect with it. I wanting
to explore and see what that is inside of you
that wants to just leave and go. And I mean
life trying to make it in regular society can be
just as grueling and hard and difficult, not knowing what
you want to do. And I've been going from job
(05:22):
to job to job to job, trying to figure out
what is it that I love? What is it that
I love that's worth doing. It's not easy to determine,
Like you know, living, you know, everything's expensive, like every
once in a while, and I just want to get
out of dead. I want to get the fuck out
of here.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
I hear you on that point, and so do many
others repeating Mama's questions why do you do what you do?
Speaker 10 (05:42):
Such an awesome show came at a very important time
in my life. I used to ride trains, and I
just recently a year ago, bought a house, and I
have a job, a corporate job, and I guess I
had a birthday recently and had kind of like an
(06:05):
existential crisis sitting in one of my work meetings, and
I was just thinking to myself, like what the fuck
am I doing? I know I could just jump on
a train and get the fuck out of here.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
And for one writer, the show made him think about
how he could get off the rails.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Keep up the good work. It's given me some inspiration.
It really has props to you. It's just given me
an inspiration to keep moving. I would love to go
off the rails, but you know, a's fifty two. That's
not a reality. But there are other ways to go
about it, especially how you talked about at the end
of the show moving into the San Francisco apartment. Anyway,
(06:46):
I thought it would give you a glimmer of hope
that it has helped somebody. It has helped me.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
The most moving messages for me were the ones from parents.
City of the Rails is a story about life on
the tracks, but it's clearly a mom point of view
on what happens at home when your child leaves for
many parents to show help them understand why their child
took this risk.
Speaker 13 (07:07):
Hey, Danielle came across your City of the Rails and
just I have a kid. He's thirty eight right now,
and years and years on the rails. He's home right now,
restarting his life again. But it's just so amazing how
how there were so many questions I didn't even know
to ask that you've answered and It's really opened up
(07:30):
a dialogue between he and I. Of course a lot
of stuff off limits, but it really has been just
remarkable listening to that life. And anyway, thank you for
the awesome podcast.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Or helped a writer explain this life to his mom.
He just couldn't understand, well, hello there, miss Martin.
Speaker 14 (07:53):
You know, I relate to your your daughter, and we're
wanting to you know, be out there and saying and
how like how you know my mom at first was
like what the fuck? But now she's like, support it,
And this is such a great thing to pass to
her this podcast, because there's been a lot of things
that wanted to you know, express and share with her
(08:15):
that maybe she just hasn't asked me about or I
haven't sat down. I'm not really a big storyteller.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's been really cool to share.
Speaker 7 (08:24):
This with her.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
For some other moms, after listening to the show, they
understood their teenage daughters better.
Speaker 11 (08:31):
This podcast is one of the most beautiful podcasts I
have ever heard. I don't think there's been an episode
I've listened to so far that hasn't brought out so
much emotion in me as a mom and as a
friend to those who have spent many, many, many a
year's writing. There's not a moment that I don't see
(08:52):
a train somewhere and take pictures of graffiti and wonder
who's on that train. Your story is beautiful, and thank
you for sharing. And as a mom, I have a
fifteen year old daughter that I can so relate to
right now with hearing you talk about Rupy and know
that my daughter is bound for adventure and bound for
(09:16):
a life of her own. I don't know what else
to say, but thank you, Thank.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
You so much, And I think even more important, helped
at least one mom be open to loving her daughter
for exactly who she is, not for who she wanted
her to be.
Speaker 15 (09:32):
Hi, Danelle, I know that the show you've finished, all
the series that I just wanted you to know that
I've been binge listening for the last three days. I
am a seventy one year old mother of two beautiful
forty something daughters, and one daughter is just like me.
(09:53):
You do what you're told, and you do everything right
the way society expects. The other one not so much.
She has friends who are very very much like the
people you describe. They are honorable, they are troubled. They
are good friends. Your podcast has.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Really opened my eyes to who my daughter is and
helped me understand.
Speaker 7 (10:25):
Her more and love her more.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
And I want to be more patient with her and
not keep trying to change her. I have spent her
whole life trying to.
Speaker 15 (10:39):
Make her somebody she isn't or encourage her in directions.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That she's not interested in. She doesn't work for the man, she.
Speaker 15 (10:48):
Does odd jobs. She just marches to a different drummer
than her dad and I. For whatever reason, I.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Just really really wanted to thank you so much for
writing this and I feel like so much of it
is about being a parent, and I just wanted to
thank you. Thank you so so much for this beautiful podcast.
Blessings to you and to Ruby.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
That one really touched me. Blessings to you too, to
all of you. After all this thoughtful feedback and gratitude,
many still had one lingering question.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
I feel like a lot of people on the rails,
there's somehow, there's that spiritual connection of just rejecting the
world but trying to make your way in it. That
just really appeals to me. And I don't know if
I'll ever get that chance, but it's just been amazing
to hear about that, and I just have to say
thank you. I'm really looking forward to the second season.
(11:53):
And well, just I guess readings from su City, Iowa.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
So where is season two? Sorry to say, there isn't
going to be a second season. Our show didn't get renewed,
so we're without a home for the incredible story of
Dirty Mike that I told you about at the end
of the last show. There's been a lot of turmoil
in the podcast business in City of the Rails, wrapped
with some great and very popular shows getting canceled. So
(12:20):
despite the one million downloads, ironically, we're a story in
search of a home. I don't think it'll be forever though,
after all, I've got more than two hundred letters from
Dirty Mike, a confessed serial killer who found most of
his victims in the train yard and is, on top
of that, a pretty good writer. So by for now
City of the Rails fans, but not forever. We're still
(12:43):
working on it. And as Profane Sass sang, so well,
we'll see you down the road, you wayfaring strangers.
Nielle.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Look, just did I give you a ring from Australia
where I've been listening to that fantastic story of yours
and your beautiful writing. I've enjoyed it enormously and it
reminds me so much of the time when I was
on the road lost in America. I did ride a
number of trains and set in a number of box
(00:20):
cars along the way anyway, I thought I'd just play
you one of the songs that I used to play
a lot when I was around.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Right here it cars.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Thank you Australian fan for that great Harmonica solough that
brings us back to the City of the Rails, which
just passed a million downloads, one million amazing. In honor
of this, we decided to celebrate you, guys, the audience,
hundreds of thousands of you were drawn to this unusual
story set in a world most of you had seen
(00:59):
but ever thought about. You left us some incredible voicemails.
I'm Dannelle Morton and this is our bonus episode to
thank the fans of the City of the Rails.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Hi, this is Dino. Hey, I just finished with what
I know is is the final episode of City of
the rails and holy crap, I used to live in Colton,
you know. I have been over that Rancho off ramp
and always looked down and saw encampments of tents and
people hanging out down there, and I'm like, oh, you know, jeez,
poor homeless people. And then you know, it all clicked.
(01:34):
And same with the Pepper streets. You just enlightened me
to the Colton scene, which I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about. Man,
I just could not stop listening to your podcast two
thirty in the morning. I'm up, I gotta listen more.
I gotta here, I gotta get addicted, absolutely got addicted.
Speaker 6 (01:59):
Hi.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I just wanted to say I've been really enjoying the
podcast forty year old Marine mechanic renching on boats over
in Rhode Island in the middle of the winter.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Really and enjoy your work.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
It's visceral.
Speaker 8 (02:13):
It really is well done.
Speaker 9 (02:16):
First and foremost, I just want to say that I'm
a prolific reader.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I love watching movies and very very rarely do I
go back.
Speaker 8 (02:24):
And experience something more than once to I just started
my third time listening to this program.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Of these episodes, this podcast today and I'll find it phenomenal.
Speaker 10 (02:40):
Hey, I'm calling from s Water, Minnesota, and I just
want to praise you and your whole crew.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm an uber driver among other things.
Speaker 10 (02:51):
It's like my third job. But you know, I listen
to you while I'm driving, and I have passengers get
super into your podcast. They don't always get into my podcast,
but yours.
Speaker 7 (03:00):
They love.
Speaker 10 (03:01):
It's interesting, and I think it's brilliant to bring on
subjects that we don't know.
Speaker 11 (03:07):
About, those average, you know, American here right in front
of our face.
Speaker 10 (03:11):
You guys to bring it in this world.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Not all of you loved it unconditionally, though. We got
criticized for not identifying queer writers.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Who do you want to talk to about queer relationships
on the rails, Because I know you said that like
most people will hook up with like most women will
hook up with a man for like safety and companionship
on the royals, But what about queer people, because I'm sure,
I'm sure clear relationships are also existing there.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Others asked if this world was different for writers of color.
Speaker 12 (03:45):
I think it's really interesting about the subcultures and kind
of like the freedom connected with just this hobo like lifestyle.
Something I am kind of curious about I'm a black man,
and I'm wondering, like what the kind of racial makeup
of the like kind of hobo camps and the what
kind of hobo community is because a friend and I
were talking about it, and it kind of seems that
like being an invisible kind of vagrant seems like that
(04:07):
would be kind of like privilege, like a privileged like
white thing.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And one daughter of a rail cup felt we glorified
something that is incredibly dangerous.
Speaker 9 (04:17):
People jumping the rails is a big problem, and you
want to glorify.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
That life.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
Yes, you do show there are some downsides to it,
but you make it seem very attractive. I just think
that you haven't done justice to the other side.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Of just one listener didn't want me, someone from outside
this secret world to tell this story at all.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I don't think you're a good journalist.
Speaker 12 (04:46):
I think you're an outsider and you can go fuck yourself.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
There were also messages from writers and near writers for
whom the podcast made them want to take to the rails.
Speaker 8 (05:00):
I just want to say that I really really do
enjoy your podcast and I connect with it. I wanting
to explore and see what that is inside of you
that wants to just leave and go. And I mean
life trying to make it in regular society can be
just as grueling and hard and difficult, not knowing what
you want to do. And I've been going from job
(05:22):
to job to job to job, trying to figure out
what is it that I love? What is it that
I love that's worth doing. It's not easy to determine,
Like you know, living, you know, everything's expensive, like every
once in a while, and I just want to get
out of dead. I want to get the fuck out
of here.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
I hear you on that point, and so do many
others repeating Mama's questions why do you do what you do?
Speaker 10 (05:42):
Such an awesome show came at a very important time
in my life. I used to ride trains, and I
just recently a year ago, bought a house, and I
have a job, a corporate job, and I guess I
had a birthday recently and had kind of like an
(06:05):
existential crisis sitting in one of my work meetings, and
I was just thinking to myself, like what the fuck
am I doing? I know I could just jump on
a train and get the fuck out of here.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
And for one writer, the show made him think about
how he could get off the rails.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Keep up the good work. It's given me some inspiration.
It really has props to you. It's just given me
an inspiration to keep moving. I would love to go
off the rails, but you know, a's fifty two. That's
not a reality. But there are other ways to go
about it, especially how you talked about at the end
of the show moving into the San Francisco apartment. Anyway,
(06:46):
I thought it would give you a glimmer of hope
that it has helped somebody. It has helped me.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
The most moving messages for me were the ones from parents.
City of the Rails is a story about life on
the tracks, but it's clearly a mom point of view
on what happens at home when your child leaves for
many parents to show help them understand why their child
took this risk.
Speaker 13 (07:07):
Hey, Danielle came across your City of the Rails and
just I have a kid. He's thirty eight right now,
and years and years on the rails. He's home right now,
restarting his life again. But it's just so amazing how
how there were so many questions I didn't even know
to ask that you've answered and It's really opened up
(07:30):
a dialogue between he and I. Of course a lot
of stuff off limits, but it really has been just
remarkable listening to that life. And anyway, thank you for
the awesome podcast.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Or helped a writer explain this life to his mom.
He just couldn't understand, well, hello there, miss Martin.
Speaker 14 (07:53):
You know, I relate to your your daughter, and we're
wanting to you know, be out there and saying and
how like how you know my mom at first was
like what the fuck? But now she's like, support it,
And this is such a great thing to pass to
her this podcast, because there's been a lot of things
that wanted to you know, express and share with her
(08:15):
that maybe she just hasn't asked me about or I
haven't sat down. I'm not really a big storyteller.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's been really cool to share.
Speaker 7 (08:24):
This with her.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
For some other moms, after listening to the show, they
understood their teenage daughters better.
Speaker 11 (08:31):
This podcast is one of the most beautiful podcasts I
have ever heard. I don't think there's been an episode
I've listened to so far that hasn't brought out so
much emotion in me as a mom and as a
friend to those who have spent many, many, many a
year's writing. There's not a moment that I don't see
(08:52):
a train somewhere and take pictures of graffiti and wonder
who's on that train. Your story is beautiful, and thank
you for sharing. And as a mom, I have a
fifteen year old daughter that I can so relate to
right now with hearing you talk about Rupy and know
that my daughter is bound for adventure and bound for
(09:16):
a life of her own. I don't know what else
to say, but thank you, Thank.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
You so much, And I think even more important, helped
at least one mom be open to loving her daughter
for exactly who she is, not for who she wanted
her to be.
Speaker 15 (09:32):
Hi, Danelle, I know that the show you've finished, all
the series that I just wanted you to know that
I've been binge listening for the last three days. I
am a seventy one year old mother of two beautiful
forty something daughters, and one daughter is just like me.
(09:53):
You do what you're told, and you do everything right
the way society expects. The other one not so much.
She has friends who are very very much like the
people you describe. They are honorable, they are troubled. They
are good friends. Your podcast has.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Really opened my eyes to who my daughter is and
helped me understand.
Speaker 7 (10:25):
Her more and love her more.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
And I want to be more patient with her and
not keep trying to change her. I have spent her
whole life trying to.
Speaker 15 (10:39):
Make her somebody she isn't or encourage her in directions.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That she's not interested in. She doesn't work for the man, she.
Speaker 15 (10:48):
Does odd jobs. She just marches to a different drummer
than her dad and I. For whatever reason, I.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Just really really wanted to thank you so much for
writing this and I feel like so much of it
is about being a parent, and I just wanted to
thank you. Thank you so so much for this beautiful podcast.
Blessings to you and to Ruby.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
That one really touched me. Blessings to you too, to
all of you. After all this thoughtful feedback and gratitude,
many still had one lingering question.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
I feel like a lot of people on the rails,
there's somehow, there's that spiritual connection of just rejecting the
world but trying to make your way in it. That
just really appeals to me. And I don't know if
I'll ever get that chance, but it's just been amazing
to hear about that, and I just have to say
thank you. I'm really looking forward to the second season.
(11:53):
And well, just I guess readings from su City, Iowa.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
So where is season two? Sorry to say, there isn't
going to be a second season. Our show didn't get renewed,
so we're without a home for the incredible story of
Dirty Mike that I told you about at the end
of the last show. There's been a lot of turmoil
in the podcast business in City of the Rails, wrapped
with some great and very popular shows getting canceled. So
(12:20):
despite the one million downloads, ironically, we're a story in
search of a home. I don't think it'll be forever though,
after all, I've got more than two hundred letters from
Dirty Mike, a confessed serial killer who found most of
his victims in the train yard and is, on top
of that, a pretty good writer. So by for now
City of the Rails fans, but not forever. We're still
(12:43):
working on it. And as Profane Sass sang, so well,
we'll see you down the road, you wayfaring strangers.
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