Once Upon a Time in LA, There Were Rail Cars: A Conversation with Cole Costello About Societal Decline, Eminent Domain, Historical Memory, and Ozymandias!

In this episode, Alex sits down with Cole Costello, a friend and history student/ future PhD candidate, who is focused on historical memory, the indigenous history of California, labor movements in the American West, and the history of rail cars in Los Angeles. In this conversation, the two mainly talk about how Los Angeles used to have a vast rail car system that connected numerous parts of the city and created an environment that helped different classes move around the city. Cole dives into why the gas powered car eventually defeated these rail cars and also why the rail cars no longer exist. The two also get into the complex history of the West, why historical memory is important, what societal decline looks like, and how eminent domain policies have impacted Los Angeles. The two even discuss some politics and Cole’s favorite music.