Roundhouse Crosstalk

Join us for this week's episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk. In this episode we sit down with museum docent and guest curator Chris Pifer-Foote to discuss her exciting research on Anna Judah.

Anna Judah was influential in building the Transcontinental Railroad. She joined her husband Theodore Judah while he hiked, surveyed, and found the route through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. While his achievements have been long known and recognized, Chris Pifer-Foote uncovered Anna's crucial role in these expeditions. She often joined him on these trips and painted beautiful water color paintings, sketched the surveyed lands, and complied rare plants into two herbariums. These resources were eventually used to help convince congress to fund the Transcontinental Railroad through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. This podcast dives into her life, legacy, and offers a glimpse into the research process that led to the California State Railroad Museum's newest exhibit!

To learn more about Anna Judah come and visit her new exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum! The exhibit opens in early May. Follow us for more details coming soon!

Join us for this week's episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk! In this episode we sit down with Anthony Dawson to learn about the very early days of railroad. What were these first steam engines like? Why were they built? How did the public respond? And what lasting impact do these trains have on the UK system today? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more!

To learn more watch Anthony Dawson's YouTube videos, Follow his Facebook page, and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/OnHistoricalLines/?locale=fo_FO, .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anthony-L.-Dawson/e/B0034OTMXK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyDawsonHistory/videos

Join us for this week’s episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk! In this podcast we sit down with our long time docent and station master Paul Self to learn about Hospital Trains in the past and the present. These trains have been instrumental throughout history in saving lives both in battle and now for humanitarian causes. 

In this week’s episode we interview James Zimmerman about his new book The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China about the Lincheng Outrage. On May 5, 1923 1200 bandits derailed the Peking Express and took 25 hostages from several European countries as well as the United States. This quickly became an international incident that impacted the newly created Republic of China and influenced media throughout the world. These events (adapted for a popular audience)  were eventually turned into the movie: The Shanghai Express. Tune in to learn about the true events that created this award winning film!

Pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Peking-Express-Bandits-Stunned-Republic/dp/1541701704

Learn more about book events here: https://thepekingexpress.com

Join us for this week’s edition of Roundhouse Crosstalk! In this week’s episode we interview H. Rodger Grant about his new book The Station Agent and the American Railroad Experience. We highlight the legacy of the Railroad Station Agent, how they rose to leaders in their communities, and how the decline of railroading in the mid-twentieth century impacted these agents.

For more of H. Rodger Grant’s railroad books: https://www.clemson.edu/caah/about/facultybio.html?id=246

Join us for this week’s episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk. In this episode we sit down with Jessamyn Abel, author of Dream Super-Express: A Cultural History of the World’s First Bullet Train which focuses on the competing historical memories of Japan’s first Bullet Train. We’ll discuss how it was constructed, how it connected to images of Imperial Japan, and how it has continued to symbolize economic progress and technological innovation in Japan.

To learn more: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29947

Join us for this week's episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk! This week we interview CSRM intern Desun Oka about his work on a digital exhibit about the White Train Movement. The White Train Movement was instrumental in the fight for nuclear disarmament during the Cold War Era. In this podcast we learn about their tactics, government response, and what the activists did after the end of the Cold War. 

Digital Exhibit: https://express.adobe.com/page/E5nxBSyx4ZQP3/

Join us for this week's episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk where we dive into the role of the railroad in the Crimean War. Throughout our program we've looked at the railroad as a force for rapid technological change and as a symbol for modernity. This episode showcases this concept in a global setting, in what our interviewee Anthony Dawson terms the first modern war. 

Anthony Dawson's book: https://www.amazon.com/Railway-that-Helped-win-Crimean-ebook/dp/B0B19551DP/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=anthony+dawson+crimea&qid=1673632463&sr=8-3

Anthony Dawson's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyDawsonHistory

Have you ever wondered how railroad tracks are maintained and serviced after they're built? In the Southwest this work is often done by Navajo maintenance of way workers. In this episode of Roundhouse Crosstalk we look at the history of these workers, what their experience is like today, and how their cultural beliefs and attitudes impact their work for the railroad. 

To learn more check out Jay Youngdahl's book: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Railroad-Walking-Beauty-Navajos/dp/0874218535

Have you ever wondered what it was like to travel on a bullet train in Japan? One important aspect to all types of long distance travel is food! In this week's episode we dive into the food culture onboard Japanese railroads. Learn about how the unique Ekiben boxes available at railroad stations across Japan reflect a local food cultures and how they've impacted Japanese travel.