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Hi Dave, I just took the Empire Builder from Milwaukee to Seattle to cover the 17th National Garden Railway Convention. It was my first overnighter on a train. My wife and two boys (ages 9 and 11) and my parents came along as well. We booked three economy/standard sleepers. While it is true that the window in the door to my parent's sleeper was missing, and the train had to apply the emergency brakes several times the first night of the trip because of mechanical failures (it's a bit disconcerting to wake up to the smell of burning brake pads), the trip was good. A couple with whom I had breakfast and who have traveled the US via Amtrak commented that in their experience the Empire Builder is the "armpit route" of Amtrak mostly because of substandard equipment. At one time we were 2.5 hours behind schedule because of the mechanical malfunctions, but by the time we arrived in Seattle we had made up 2 of those hours. The scenery through Glacier park was fabulous on Saturday evening and all through Sunday morning (daylight hours). If I had to do it again, I would book a delux sleeper. Economy is a bit cramped. Otherwise, the food was pretty good and we had an enjoyable time. Regards, Jim Schulz associate editor, Trains.com
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