# Riding the Empire Builder in October



## AstroCat (Oct 6, 2008)

This was our first trip on a long distance train. I made the reservations for my wife and me about two months ago. We live within a ten-minute drive of the Glenview station (GLN in Illinois), so boarding in Glenview made for an easy start (and end) to the trip. We opted for a roomette in order to have more privacy and make the trip into something special. Our destination was Minneapolis - St. Paul (MSP).

The train arrived a few minutes early at the Glenview station. When it stopped, the doors on several cars opened. The conductor came out of the train and took our tickets. He directed us into specific cars. All of the sleeper cars and coach cars had their doors open, so it was easy for people to board directly into their assigned cars.

We carried on all of our baggage because the GLN station does not have any checked baggage service. We had room #5 in the rear sleeper. Our car attendant was very cheerful and helpful and everything on the car functioned well. We put our baggage in the rack on the lower lever and went up to our roomette.

I was impressed with the size of the roomette. It was certainly roomy enough for the two of us. There was plenty of bottled water located at a station just down the hall from our door. The ride was reasonably smooth and the track noise was minimal. Everything, including the bathrooms functioned well on both trips (outbound and back). Sleeping in a roomette would probably be difficult, but it was not necessary on this trip. We viewed the roomette as a first class upgrade.

With about 25 people boarding in Glenview, the train wound up leaving a few minutes later than the scheduled time of 2:39. The train made up the time and was on-time at all steps between GLN and MSP. It was actually about 15 minutes early arriving at MSP.

We had boarded the train too late for lunch and we were wondering how to make a dinner reservation when a person came by to take our dinner reservation. We then spent a couple of hours reading in our room. After that we headed for the observation car where we found a couple of open seats and then watched the scenery of central Wisconsin roll by on a beautiful fall afternoon. I enjoyed a beer while doing this and chatted with the upstairs lounge attendant. I wandered downstairs to see what the lower lounge was like, but returned quickly. It was packed with people, either eating or waiting to order food at the counter.

The overall ride was much better than I expected. Walking around on a moving train took some getting used to. Unlike a commuter train, you wind up doing a lot of walking on Empire Builder. You walk through multiple cars to get to the observation car or the dining car. Fortunately we had no mishaps.

As dusk approached, we headed to dining car for our first experience with rail dining. It turned out to be a very enjoyable dinner. We were seated with two interesting people and the food was fine. I had a steak and my wife had chicken with rice. The quality was better than we expected and certainly as good as what is usually found in various eateries along the interstate highways. It was not of the quality you would find in a fine restaurant, but in the context of eating on a train, it made for a satisfying and tasty dinner. I had ice cream for dessert. Meals in the dining car are included in the cost of the roomette, so the only out of pocket expense was leaving a tip for the wait staff. In our first dining experience we learned the importance of knowing your car number and room number, because you have to provide that information in order to avoid being charged the meal.

After dinner we retired to our roomette for more reading and conversation. Between the observation car experience, the dinner, and the time spent in our roomette, the hours passed quickly and we arrived at our destination feeling relaxed.

Getting off the train was a snap. Our car attendant reminded us that our stop was approaching. We really did not need his reminder, as the public address system had already made the announcement, but it was nice to have confirmation. We went downstairs and took our baggage from the rack and when the door opened, we stepped off the train. The Minneapolis/St. Paul station is in the middle of nowhere, but fortunately we had a friend meet us and drive us to our hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The total time from the stopping of the train to getting into the automobile was only three or four minutes – a convenience that no major airport could match.

Compared to flying or driving, I have never experienced such a low-stress trip. In fact, on most vacations I generally need a day at my destination to decompress. In this case, I arrived at my destination already relaxed and fed. The fact that you can take off your shoes in the roomette and experience some actual privacy really helps.

The trip back was almost as enjoyable. The only downside is that the return train boards passengers at 7:20 in the morning. This means rising early on a Sunday morning and leaving the hotel before breakfast. Fortunately, as soon as we boarded the train and settled into our roomette, the public address system announced that tables were currently available in the dining car. We went there immediately and had a nice breakfast. During the morning we split our time between the roomette and the observation car. It was fun watching the Mississippi River, which we crossed more than once during the morning. We also enjoyed a nice lunch in the dining car.

The bathrooms on the return trip were in a worse condition (in terms of cleanliness) than on our outbound trip. This makes sense when you remember that the return train had already traveled nearly 40 hours before picking us up. However, the bathrooms in our car were still very usable and functioned well. They were certainly as clean (or cleaner) as any airplane bathroom that I have used (and I would hate to see an airplane bathroom after 40 hours of use). The food in the dining car and lounge was plentiful even though this was last day of the EP's eastbound trip. Just as on the outbound trip, the experience was relaxing and low stress.

We found the trip to be a wonderful experience and will probably take all of our future trips to Minneapolis on the Empire Builder. I also have hankering to take the EP to Glacier National Park, although the pricing for that trip (during the summer months) is astonishingly high.

The staff was cheerful and determined to be of service, but it was clear that they were struggling against worn equipment that was in serous need of maintenance and/or replacement. For example, the observation car attendant had to apologize again and again for the leaking ceiling when it rained. Somehow, the staff pulled it all together and the result was a great experience for my wife and me. Bravo!


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## hello (Oct 7, 2008)

Thank you for your report -- it certainly sounds as though you enjoyed your ride!


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## Hanno (Oct 7, 2008)

Nice report and very well written! I'm thinking of taking the EB to GNP next summer so it helped get a flavor of the expereince. Is the observation car a doomed car?


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## jim55 (Oct 7, 2008)

Hanno said:


> Nice report and very well written! I'm thinking of taking the EB to GNP next summer so it helped get a flavor of the expereince. Is the observation car a doomed car?


It's not like the classic doomed car of yesteryear. The upper level has oversize windows and additional windows that curve into the ceiling for some sky vies. The lower level is the lounge(food and drinks) As far as a trip to Glacier NP, I found early Sep to be excellent. Crowds are down and reservations are rarely needed. The "Izaak Walton Inn" still charged me "season rates" but heck, it was still nice. The Humming Bird feeders were removed but I had no trouble dinning at any time. Gas was $3.73 at West Glacier(Belton). We got to do the entire "Road to the sun"the next day it closed in places for rebuild. So you only got some of the affect. Jim


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## Hanno (Oct 7, 2008)

jim55 said:


> Hanno said:
> 
> 
> > Nice report and very well written! I'm thinking of taking the EB to GNP next summer so it helped get a flavor of the expereince. Is the observation car a doomed car?
> ...


Jim, thanks for the information and suggestions.


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## AstroCat (Oct 7, 2008)

jim55 is right about the layout of observation car.


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## MrFSS (Oct 7, 2008)

They look like this inside:

*Picture*


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## Hanno (Oct 7, 2008)

MrFSS said:


> They look like this inside:
> *Picture*



Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words!" Thanks for taking the time to post this!


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## Guest_cpamtfan_* (Oct 7, 2008)

MrFSS said:


> They look like this inside:
> *Picture*


Just as a heads up, most have been refurbished, and look much nicer  .

cpamtfan-Peter


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## amtrakwolverine (Oct 9, 2008)

is the car number printed on your ticket or do you get it from the car attendent. im thinking of taking this train all the way from chicago to Seattle and next year sleeper both ways.


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## AlanB (Oct 9, 2008)

KISS_ALIVE said:


> is the car number printed on your ticket or do you get it from the car attendent. im thinking of taking this train all the way from chicago to Seattle and next year sleeper both ways.


When traveling in a sleeping car, both your car number and your room number appear on your ticket. In coach, you find out what car you're in when you get to the train.


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## amtrakwolverine (Oct 9, 2008)

AlanB said:


> KISS_ALIVE said:
> 
> 
> > is the car number printed on your ticket or do you get it from the car attendent. im thinking of taking this train all the way from chicago to Seattle and next year sleeper both ways.
> ...


cool thanks. im plaining on having a sleeper both ways.will be first time in sleeper class


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