Return of the Vermonter
The War on Cars
The War on Cars, LLC
4.9 • 937 Ratings
🗓️ 5 October 2021
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On July 19, 2020, Amtrak restarted passenger rail service on its Vermonter line after a 16-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You wouldn't necessarily think that this would be all that big of a deal. The Vermonter runs just one train per day in each direction between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, a small town near the Canadian border. This train is kind of slow, frequently late, and only serves 100,000 passengers a year — a drop in the bucket compared to nearby Interstate highways. And yet, in the village of Bellows Falls, the return of the Vermonter was cause for major celebration and an outpouring of civic pride. Why does intercity train service mean to a small town like Bellows Falls? And what is it about the train that people love so much?
***This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code BANCARS at checkout now through November 1.***
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SHOW NOTES:
In Bellows Falls, train love runs deep. (Brattleboro Reformer)
Amtrak returns to Vermont after a 16-month pandemic absence. (VT Digger)
A presentation by Carl Fowler of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council on the history and evolution of rail passenger service in Vermont and northern New England. (Sustainable Transportation Vermont)
The mysterious petroglyphs of Bellows Falls. (Obscure Vermont)
Bellows Falls history and historic photos. (Lost New England)
Ride the Vermonter and go see some leaves turn colors. (Amtrak)
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This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Original music scoring and sound design by Bob Pounding. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.
Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's that time of year, when the light changes, the days get shorter, and the weather gets a little more challenging. |
| 0:09.0 | It's also time for Cleverhood's fall sale. |
| 0:12.0 | Cleverhood makes rain gear for people who walk and ride bicycles, even in the rain. |
| 0:16.6 | Their capes and anorax look great, they keep you dry, and your money is well spent because |
| 0:21.3 | Cleverhood supports environmentally friendly manufacturing, fair labor practices, and small suppliers. And for every Rover Cape they sell, Cleverhood donates 5% of revenue to local advocacy groups working to create safer and more equitable streets. |
| 0:36.5 | For 20% off on a rover cape and lots of other great products, go to cleverhood.com |
| 0:41.7 | slash war on cars. Enter coupon code ban cars when you check out. |
| 0:47.8 | The fall sale runs through November 1st. |
| 0:50.4 | Again, that's cleverhood.com slash War on Cars, coupon code, ban cars. |
| 0:57.0 | Good through November 1st. Howdy. Do you want to chat about the train real quick? |
| 1:07.0 | Cool. All right. |
| 1:10.0 | Here let's go to a quieter spot so we don't get background noise. |
| 1:13.4 | It's a little better. |
| 1:14.5 | Yeah, this is probably better. |
| 1:16.9 | So my name is Aaron, I do a podcast called The War on Cars. |
| 1:20.8 | Ooh. |
| 1:21.8 | Hi, I'm here with my family today, my sister and my sister's friend. |
| 1:28.5 | What's your name? |
| 1:29.5 | My name is Anthony. |
| 1:30.5 | I am going to be 13 in two weeks. |
| 1:32.4 | I've been coming down here since I was five days old. |
| 1:35.0 | I'm a rail fan. Trains are one of my biggest hobbies. |
... |
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