The Ekiben Podcast is a cute, compact, lovingly curated lunchbox of nerdy train goodness. Hosts Cara Gerard and Jared Peterson love everything to do with trains and rail travel, and in each episode they regale one another with enthusiastic, shakily-source
Jared talks about his favourite line of his favourite urban rail system in his favourite country. Cara talks about the old junk that makes subways very expensive. Cara's sources: https://www.grunge.com/103340/artifacts-found-building-subway-systems/?utm_campaign=clip https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/underground-transit-projects-reveal-secrets-buried-beneath-cities https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36311156 https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/03/02/second-century-luxurious-commanders-house-found-in-rome-metro-dig https://www.grunge.com/103340/artifacts-found-building-subway-systems/?utm_campaign=clip https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-romes-newest-subway-line-revealing-trove-ancient-treasures-180969729/ https://www.afar.com/places/the-templo-mayor-ciudad-de-mexico https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pyramid-of-ehecatl https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1146293.shtml https://www.mic-ro.com/metro/archaeology.html https://news.gtp.gr/2019/12/20/greek-decision-to-remove-thessaloniki-metro-station-finds-triggers-uproar/ https://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/trains-future-and-past-history-and-archaeology-underground-transport-systems https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/amsterdam-museum-archaeologists-artefacts-river-amstel https://www.inrap.fr/en/going-back-origins-algiers-archaeological-evaluation-place-des-martyrs-12148 https://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/trains-future-and-past-history-and-archaeology-underground-transport-systems https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/06/byzantine-pompeii-archaeological-discovery-in-greece-will-be-moved-to-make-way-for-the-thessaloniki-subway/ https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/society/2017/3/13/algiers-commutes-back-in-time-with-metro-station-museum https://www.francetraveltips.com/remains-of-the-bastille/ https://www.inkstonenews.com/china/how-history-blocks-xian-subway-progress/article/3004133 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prague_metro_Mustek_A_station_medieval_bridge_135.jpg
#onafuturepodcast Episode 1 — our first mini MINI train snack! While fact checking some of the more dubious claims made in Episode 5, Cara goes down several rolling stock rabbit holes (the best kind). We only want the best, most up-to-date information on rolling stock that was retired decades ago for our dear listener!!
Cara introduces us to some four-legged and feathered train riders and stationmasters. Jared takes us for a ride on Toronto's Red Rocket. Cara's cats act like jerks. Cara's sources: https://hatchingcatnyc.com/category/dog-mascots/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko http://travel.cnn.com/cat-saves-japanese-train-station-586471/ https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/moscows-metro-dogs https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cute-world-mascots/index.html https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/4/130424-animals-weird-cats-science-world-trains-buses/ https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/05/nyregion/tunnel-vision-waiting-for-the-a-train-the-sophisticated-pigeon.html https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/world/asia/fed-by-indians-monkeys-overwhelm-delhi.html?_r=0 Jared's sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_streetcar_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_streetcar_system_rolling_stock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birney_(Toronto_streetcar) https://transittoronto.ca/streetcar/4509.shtml https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/now-40-years-old-the-clrv-streetcar-is-a-piece-of-toronto-history-that-almost-never-came-to-be-1.4460552 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ttc-bendy-streetcars-articulated-light-rail-vehicles-end-of-line-labour-day-1.5267535 https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/commuters-to-endure-botched-pronunciation-of-avenue-on-toronto-transit
Jared talks about spores (and other flora and fungi of our underground networks). Cara geeks out on the complicated transportation options in Cold War Berlin. And we both talk about the food at Ikea WAY more than one would expect for a podcast about trains. Cara's sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Berlin_S-Bahn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Berlin_U-Bahn https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2012-05-21/friedrichstrasse-railway-station-berlin-maphead-ken-jennings https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-18044695 https://www.quora.com/How-did-West-Berliners-travel-to-West-Germany Jared's sources: https://interestingengineering.com/11-of-the-most-beautiful-metro-stations-across-the-world http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=180632 https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2017/06/05/theres-a-garden-inside-a-tube-station-ticket-office/ https://ny.curbed.com/2020/2/19/21143608/lowline-underground-park-lower-east-side-is-dead http://thelowline.org/about/project/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowline_(park) https://wamu.org/story/15/10/09/in_damp_metro_tunnels_prehistoric_plants_thrive/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/please-dont-kill-the-sunflowers-the-phantom-planter-says-metro-destroyed-more-than-100-sunflowers-at-the-dupont-circle-station/2019/06/19/1cf3e5de-929e-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html
Even though YOU have known what our podcast is named for some weeks now, we just figured it out! Also, Cara talks a LOT about airports, considering that this is a train podcast. And Jared tells us about 大回り乗車 (that's oomawari jousha), AKA Around Japan for 140 Yen. Cara's sources: https://www.wired.com/2007/12/four-best-airpo/ https://www.wired.com/2007/11/four-worst-airp/ https://www.finavia.fi/en/newsroom/2016/pimp-my-ride-4-facts-about-new-escalators-helsinki-airport-train-station https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q82CyVlosCg (no longer the longest escalator in Finland, that's now Koivusaari Metro in Helsinki. If only there were a way that I could research these things ahead of time...) Jared's sources: https://tokyocheapo.com/travel/tokyo-train-140-yen/ https://tripnote.jp/kanto/train-travel-with-omawari-ticket (in Japanese) https://skaoverlander.wordpress.com/2018/02/13/大回り乗車-oomawari-jousha-another-way-to-look-and-explore-tokyo-as-cheap-as-140-yen/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLfWU5SUjw
Cara actually lets Jared tell a story this time! In our second episode, Jared gushes about a veritable buffet of transit experiences in Hakone, Japan. Cara lovingly recounts the ups and downs (and backs and forths) of the world's oldest suspension railway, Germany's Wuppertaler Schwebebahn. Jared's sources: Wikis - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakone / https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakone_Tozan_Line A look back - https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/article/857 The “neato” train stuff - https://www.hakone-tozan.co.jp/en/fun/railway.php The ropeway - https://web.archive.org/web/20070208133216/http://www.odakyu.jp/english/sightsee/hakone/transpor/Erope.html If you wanna go - https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5202.html Cara's sources: Website and photos - https://www.schwebebahn.de/en/ Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn Swag swag swag - https://www.wuppertalshop.de/ High praise - https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/places-to-visit-2020/index.html Cool video - https://observer.com/2020/09/flying-german-railway-movie-moma/
Cara and Jared stumble their way through their first (unnamed) podcast about trains.