Empire Builder Route Info

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine is taking the Empire Builder (I think its still called that) from Chicago to Seattle this summer. He is interested in getting information of the route and some of the more interesting places it passes through. He is also interested in where any interesting and/or possibly different railroading activity may be observed on his trip.

[Anonymous]

My parents took the Builder from Minnesota to Portland a few years ago. The one thing they remembered was the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana. It is a flag-only stop, so the train might not even stop there. It has become tradition for the people staying in the Inn to stand outside on the platform and wave at the people on the train as it goes by.

[Anonymous]

Took it last year about this time round trip from PDX to CHI. On the trip back was the anticipation of seeing the Rockies again (off on the horizon)at dinner time. The mountains illuminated by the sunset was spectacular.
Train activities? The BNSF intermodels chomping at the bit to be released during a service stop in Havre. The train getting split into the two sections in Spokane is well worth staying up for.
I hope he has a sleeper because the coach passengers we saw going the whole length looked miserable. We had a deluxe room, well worth the money.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if the Empire Builder makes stops in Spokane Washington or not, but they have a few old Northern Pacific and Great Northern steamers & vintage diesels on display there. Worth cecking out and a few camera shots too. Otherwise, you'll see a lot of BNSF Premium Heritage action from Spokane to Seattle. In Seattle, there's 1 old BN SD9 stationed at Interbay Yard. If you make a stop in Seattle, a cab rides is about 15 minutes. UP has Argo yard in Seattle, with alot of different modern UP diesels there too, I've seen SD90's to SD40T-2 there. That's an 8 minute ride from Amtrak Seattle. And as you get towards Portland, you will see some more UP action too.

[Anonymous]

Spokane is where they split the Seattle and Portland sections on the west bound and combine the two on the east bound. The west bound arrives in Spokane about 1:30 am and it did not seem to be the safest of areas to be wandering around in.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so far on the information! I hope it keeps rolling in!

[Anonymous]

My family and I took a trip from Seattle to Sandpoint,ID a few years back and we missed best part of the trip, cause we left seattle at 5:00 or so. The whole trip through the casacade range was at night, what a waste. The trip through Steven's Pass might be worth staying up for after leaving Spokane, Washington. One other note Amtrack is always late leaving and arriving.

[Anonymous]

Post a trip report when your friend gets back. We were thinking about going to CHI on the train in September but with the shake up going on we're a bit hesitant.

[krugcpa]

The Empire Builder runs along the west side of the Mississippi River north of LaCrosse to within 20 miles of St. Paul. I encourage your friend to stake out a lounge car seat on the right side of the train (facing forward) for at least that part of the journey.

[Anonymous]

Hello snomkrtx...there are some great scenes you'll experience on board, but unfortunatly, the most spectacular scenery, in and around Glacier Park, is hard to see because of the early A.M. morning time that you run through this area. If Amtrak is running late, (as usual) this could be huge for your entertainment. One thing to remember when riding West...BE ON THE ENGINEERS SIDE! From Wenatchee to Seattle, the scenery is great, but the best vistas are from the 'Hog-Head's' side...have fun...Hommie