# Chicago - St. Paul in two private cars



## Ispolkom (Jul 22, 2010)

Last weekend Mrs. Ispolkom and I took The Best Train Ride Ever. At least for us. We rode the Empire Builder in coach from St. Paul to Chicago, mainly to ride back to Chicago on the Cedar Rapids, a former Milwaukee Road Sky Top Lounge.

The trip to Chicago was complicated. We wanted to earn as many AGR points as possible, since we are in a target triple-points promotion right now. Our itinerary was MSP-MKE on the Empire Builder, then MKE-MKA on the Hiawatha on Saturday. On Sunday we would travel MKA-MKE, then turn around and take the next Hiawatha MKE-CHI.

The first leg was fine. We got two seats together in a Seattle coach (no outlets in this coach), and enjoyed lunch in the lounge car. Alas, only after we had bought our lunch did we hear the lounge car attendant announce that he still had a few broasted chicken dinners from Havre. We've always been amused by how hard the lounge car attendants push those dinners, and have wanted to try one. Since we've always been in a sleeper on traveling through Havre, though, we've never had the chance. Next time we're buying lunch in the lounge on this leg we'll ask.

When we arrived in Milwaukee, it was hot and humid, and Mrs. Ispolkom announced that we weren't going to sight-see in such weather. Instead we bought dinner at the Milwaukee Public Market, and took the next Hiawatha one stop down the line to the Milwaukee Airport station. From there we caught a shuttle to our motel and enjoyed some air conditioning. Our motel was only a few hundred yards from the CP mainline, so we did venture out to photograph the 5:45 p.m. Hiawatha, which was supposed to be pulling both the Cedar Rapids and the #53 Super Dome down to Chicago for Sunday's run up to St. Paul. The train came by on time, but without the private cars, much to our concern. Was there something up with tomorrow's trip? Unfortunately, we forgot to go and look at the last Hiawatha, where we would have seen the cars.

Next morning at breakfast, I looked at our tickets and discovered that the agent in St. Paul had saved us money, but screwed up our points run. Instead of ticketing MSP-MKE and MKE-CHI as separate trips on separate days, he ran them together as one trip on the same day. This saved us money, and there's no problem using an unreserved ticket on a later date. Unfortunately, this also meant that our MKE-CHI ticket had no cost, and would (I imagine) earn no points.

Given that we would only earn points for the MKA-MKE leg, and that we'd rather spend time in Chicago than in Milwaukee, we changed plans and decided to just go straight to Chicago on the first Hiawatha of the morning.

I'd asked on this forum about the Quiet Car on the Hiawatha, so when we boarded at Milwaukee Airport station, we walked back to the end of the train to try it out. Quiet Car? How about Quiet as a Tomb Car? The train was at least a third full, but there were only three of us in the quiet car. A fourth person came in, but, spooked by the silence, she quickly retreated to one of the other cars. We didn't realize that this wonderful experience of traveling in a nearly empty car foreshadowed the rest of the day's journey.

We didn't have very long in Chicago, but we had enough time to get Mrs. Ispolkom to Mass, and to enjoy an early lunch. Union Station was packed as always, so we waited for departure in the Great Hall, strategically sitting next to one of the enormous box fans that made the hall warm but bearable.

Forty-five minutes before our scheduled departure we gathered up our bags and set out in search of our private-car passenger group. The waiting room was filled to overflowing, as usual, with an enormous undulating line and a conductor shouting instructions. I heard something about a special group, so we made our way through the crowd to the front of the line. Several passengers waiting to board snapped at me about cutting the line, but I kept repeating that we were with the private car and pushed by. When we reached the front of the line I waited for the conductor to pause for breath, and quickly told her we were with the private car. She waved us on.

Thinking back, I now see that I should have just cut around the waiting room and gone directly to the train, but our written instructions told us to find the representative in the waiting room, and I realize that Union Station is a bit more security conscious than St. Paul or Minot.

Anyway, on the platform we saw the two beautiful orange cars on the end of the train, and met Justin, the bartender/conductor, who checked us off his list and told us we could sit anywhere, since there wouldn't be many passengers.

He was sure right. There were 16 passengers in all, including Fredevad, and 11 were just going from Chicago to Milwaukee. There was plenty of room in the Super Dome, and plenty of room in the Sky Top Lounge.

I tell you, it's all downhill for rail travel after this. If traveling in a sleeper ruins you for traveling long-distance in coach, traveling by private car ruins sleeper class. Especially if you're in the Cedar Rapids, the last remaining Sky Top lounge on the rails. This observation car has 24 reclining parlor car seats in a one-one layout, but the amazing thing is the enormous greenhouse at the end of the car, with views of a 180 degrees on the horizontal and 90 degrees vertically. Back in the day, if you wanted more privacy there was a drawing room for rental, but that's Justin's compartment now.

We had drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Super Dome between Chicago and Milwaukee, and dinner after the Wisconsin Dells stop. Supper was hamburger steak and real mashed potatoes, green beans and a biscuit. Not fancy, but homemade and very good. After dinner Joe the cook joined us in the Sky Top lounge for coffee and root beer floats.

I suppose that a more discerning traveler wouldn't consider the service first-class. After all, we were drinking out of plastic cups, the plates were Corel ware, and the food wasn't very fancy. But having all of this space and quiet and privacy while traveling by train! I felt like a Captain of Industry relaxing in my chair, sipping my vodka tonic and reading the "Financial Times."

The ride up the Mississippi was especially beautiful as the sun set, and all too soon we crossed the river for the last time (for us, at least) in Hastings, and before we were ready we were climbing the Short Line to the St. Paul Midway station. After the train stopped we said our good-byes and walked to our car, as the Minnesota Commercial switching locomotive pulled up to the Cedar Rapids.

It turns out that this was more of a repositioning move, and that usually their excursions with this car are much more crowded. We're already looking forward to the October trip up to Superior, but I can't imagine anything will top this trip.

Thanks for reading. My snapshots of the cars we rode aren't very good. Much better photos can be found here, about two-thirds of the way down.


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## fredevad (Jul 22, 2010)

Great trip report, I couldn't have said it better myself (at least the part between Chicago and Milwaukee, as that's the only part I got to ride  ). I too enjoyed that there weren't very many aboard and felt like they were _our_ private cars! I'm jealous of the sunset, coffee and root beer floats I missed not going all the way to MSP.

Anyways, I'll post up my pictures soon. Video will be a bit longer - it's taking me a bit longer than expected to get the right work flow for this new HD video camera and editing software.


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2010)

Nice report JP (as in Morgan! :lol: )Had seen your pics on your previous report, wish they ran specials like that down here in our part of flyover country, all we have is two trains aday (Eagles) and they sure dont get the nice Private Varnish! Easy to see why it would spoil you, as the old song goes "How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm once they've seen Paree!" :wub:


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## fredevad (Jul 22, 2010)

Oh, I forgot to mention (I don't remember if I told you this already):

The reason why the Milwaukee Road cars were not being towed by Amtrak Hiawatha 340 is because they didn't get the cars moved from track 5 to track 1 in Milwaukee (MKE) on time. They finally staged the cars on track 1 after 340 left the station (you'll see in a couple of my videos - whenever I get them done).

My "official ticket" was for Milwaukee To Chicago (towed by Amtrak 340), but since they were going on 342 instead and they only way I'd be able to get back to MKE was by Greyhound bus, Justin let me ride from Chicago to Milwaukee with you the next day since there was hardly anyone scheduled to be on board.


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## fredevad (Jul 22, 2010)

Not all my pictures are up yet, but here is a start with some pictures from before they left Milwaukee.


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## Ispolkom (Jul 23, 2010)

Much better pictures than what I took.

Which reminds me. As we all know, opening a vestibule window in an Amtrak car is a big no-no. On this trip, it wasn't an issue, because both vestibule windows were open the whole trip. Mrs. Ispolkom and I felt like we were breaking *all* the rules, sticking our heads out when the train was at speed.


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## lyke99 (Jul 23, 2010)

Ispolkom said:


> I tell you, it's all downhill for rail travel after this. If traveling in a sleeper ruins you for traveling long-distance in coach, traveling by private car ruins sleeper class. Especially if you're in the Cedar Rapids, the last remaining Sky Top lounge on the rails. This observation car has 24 reclining parlor car seats in a one-one layout, but the amazing thing is the enormous greenhouse at the end of the car, with views of a 180 degrees on the horizontal and 90 degrees vertically. [/url]


My wife and I rode these cars on the Friends of the 261's fall colors run along the Mississippi River last year behind SP 4449. They are beautiful cars.


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## fredevad (Jul 23, 2010)

Ispolkom said:


> Which reminds me. As we all know, opening a vestibule window in an Amtrak car is a big no-no. On this trip, it wasn't an issue, because both vestibule windows were open the whole trip. Mrs. Ispolkom and I felt like we were breaking *all* the rules, sticking our heads out when the train was at speed.


I enjoyed that too... and got video (coming [relatively] soon, it's finally off the camera and on the computer). It was fun to wave at people as we went by thinking "Ha! Don't you wish you were me right now?". Several people were taking pictures as we entered the Milwaukee station and I could swear I overheard someone thinking it!



lyke99 said:


> My wife and I rode these cars on the Friends of the 261's fall colors run along the Mississippi River last year behind SP 4449. They are beautiful cars.


I'm already working on my wife to go this fall. I overheard they are going to Duluth, MN one day, then Winona, MN the next sometime in October - I'll be watching their website. Unfortunately, the 261 steam locomotive restoration won't be done in time so an Amtrak P40 series will be doing the work instead.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jul 23, 2010)

Nice report, thanks for the recap. Do you have any advice for folks who are interested in taking a private car?


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## Ispolkom (Jul 23, 2010)

daxomni said:


> Nice report, thanks for the recap. Do you have any advice for folks who are interested in taking a private car?


Thanks. I worried that I was crowing too much about my good fortune.

How to ride private varnish?

1) Be wealthy.

2) Failing that, look for private cars based in your neighborhood. Some will offer cut-rate prices if you travel on a positioning move. For example, you could travel Chicago-St. Paul for $195 on Caritas on June 4, as they brought the car back from some rental. Others like the Friends of the 261 (or whatever they're calling themselves now Railroading Heritage of the Mid West?) run excursions with lower (but still significant) prices. There were two other excursions from St. Paul to Chicago this spring that I had to miss because of work. Sadly, I don't see any good aggregator of information on this.

FWIW, the Friends of the 261 fall trips are here.


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## fredevad (Jul 23, 2010)

My pictures from the excursion from Chicago to Milwaukee are finally up - the captions will have to serve as my trip report. Not a ton of pictures since I'm still learning that I need to take pictures while taking video. Here's a sample of them.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2010)

:hi: Nice pics, lucky you! This is the next best thing to riding it yourself, we're envious! What a great opportunity! :wub:


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## Chicago (Feb 17, 2011)

I have ridden many over the years. Each has a different personality and each is unique.


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