# Fargo to Winnipeg



## caravanman (Jul 5, 2009)

Rather than tag onto the recent "Trains to Canada" posting, I thought it better to start afresh..

Some time ago I was considering trying to get to Winnipeg from the Empire builder stops at either Grand Forks or Fargo. I can see there is a "Jefferson Lines" service between Fargo and Winnipeg.. so I am wondering if anyone has taken this bus route and can pass on their experiences? I seem to remember that I dropped the plan at that time as it was winter, and Amtrak arriving at 2am and 3am into Fargo seemed inconvenient. Is it usual for passengers alighting at *smaller* Amtrak stops to find hotels open at 3am?

(Yes, that last hotel question was a bit like "how long is a piece of string".. but knowledge of what is possible extends the travel options..)

Cheers,

Ed 

ps Just remembered another reason I dropped the plan was that the bus arrival time in Winnipeg didn't leave time for a same day connection to the train to Churchill either.


----------



## MrFSS (Jul 5, 2009)

caravanman said:


> Rather than tag onto the recent "Trains to Canada" posting, I thought it better to start afresh..
> Some time ago I was considering trying to get to Winnipeg from the Empire builder stops at either Grand Forks or Fargo. I can see there is a "Jefferson Lines" service between Fargo and Winnipeg.. so I am wondering if anyone has taken this bus route and can pass on their experiences? I seem to remember that I dropped the plan at that time as it was winter, and Amtrak arriving at 2am and 3am into Fargo seemed inconvenient. Is it usual for passengers alighting at *smaller* Amtrak stops to find hotels open at 3am?
> 
> (Yes, that last hotel question was a bit like "how long is a piece of string".. but knowledge of what is possible extends the travel options..)
> ...


Ed - see this LINK.

There seems to be a Howard Johnson even within walking distance of the Amtrak station in Fargo. They would certainly keep a room for you if reserved with a CC and you could get in at any time during the night.


----------



## caravanman (Jul 5, 2009)

Hi,

Thanks for that!

Ed.


----------



## jackal (Jul 5, 2009)

caravanman said:


> Hi,
> Thanks for that!
> 
> Ed.


And Fargo may look like a small town, but it's a bustling (well, sorta) regional hub with a metro area population of almost 200,000! A look at the Wikitravel entry for the city lists a fair number of chain hotels, most of which should have 24-hour receptions (or at least a buzzer). Some of those hotels may even have a courtesy shuttle that can pick you up from the Amtrak station.

Now, a place like Minot--37,000 residents and way off the Interstate system--is more questionable, but even they have some major chain hotels.

Of course, you can start digging _really_ deep into some of the smaller towns along the Empire Builder route, but even then, you'll usually find at least a Super 8 (about on par with--sometimes better than and sometimes worse than--Motel 6, but dependably predictable, cheap, and, of course, 24 hours--and sometimes with shuttles) as well as a smattering of mom 'n' pop motels, which (at least in the U.S.) are technically 24 hour, though you may wake someone when you push the buzzer.

When you start looking at the tiny places that are too small to even have a Wikitravel article (see the above link), THEN you'd better make sure you have good advance arrangements!


----------



## Cascadia (Jul 5, 2009)

I have wondered how it works when a train gets in at 2:00 a.m., like the arrival/departure times in Sandpoint, Idaho and your example of Fargo, ND. I just figured the hotels around there know that the train gets in at weird hours, and that if you told them you were coming in on the train, they would be used to dealing with it? I would want to have a reservation though. And the idea of a shuttle service sounds appealing!

One thing to keep in mind when you get off the train in a strange place in the middle of the night, you might be more sleepy/out of it than you realize, the train makes me spacy and then not sleeping too much and being out in odd environs at odd hours - it would be good to have transportation arrangements. You could be vulnerable to making bad judgements about areas you are walking through, etc.


----------



## Alice (Jul 5, 2009)

I got off in Winnemucca (pop 7000 and county seat) during one of the CZ Feather River detours, and stayed at a chain that said they'd run a shuttle to the train. It was walking distance from the UP station (opposite side of town from Amtrak platform), but the train crew shuttle driver took me. He also offered to pick me up in the morning to take me to Amtrak but I declined and walked. If you are a friendly sort of person, I recommend crew change points, then stay at the same place as the crew.

My shuttle? They closed up shop before we got in even though it was within their published hours.


----------



## whistler (Jul 5, 2009)

One practice I haven't seen mentioned is when you make the reservation call or include in your reservation request a note that you won't be arriving until late or early the next morning.

Then I would call a week or so before arriving and verify that they have that information.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Jul 5, 2009)

whistler said:


> One practice I haven't seen mentioned is when you make the reservation call or include in your reservation request a note that you won't be arriving until late or early the next morning.
> Then I would call a week or so before arriving and verify that they have that information.


Also in this day of i-phones and incredible computers you might want to call or e-mail

your hostel/motel/hotel while on the train since you will know if you are going to be

even later than the schedule says or earlier!  Alice has a great point about crew change

points too, some are in the middle of nowhere(ie "flyover country! :lol: )


----------



## AlanB (Jul 5, 2009)

whistler said:


> One practice I haven't seen mentioned is when you make the reservation call or include in your reservation request a note that you won't be arriving until late or early the next morning.
> Then I would call a week or so before arriving and verify that they have that information.


That doesn't work with all chains. I know for a fact that it doesn't work with Hilton family hotels. In fact, right at the bottom of the comments box they tell you that the comments won't be read by the hotel until the day of check-in.

So calling a week before would most likely get you a "I have no idea what you're talking about."


----------



## RailFanLNK (Jul 5, 2009)

If you ever think of doing this in the winter, there has been many times I have heard that "today's low in the US was in Fargo ND and it was -32 below zero"...... h34r: Remember, thats temp with no wind chill added in. The weather can be brutal in the winter time in Fargo.


----------



## Ispolkom (Jul 5, 2009)

RailFanLNK said:


> If you ever think of doing this in the winter, there has been many times I have heard that "today's low in the US was in Fargo ND and it was -32 below zero"...... h34r: Remember, thats temp with no wind chill added in. The weather can be brutal in the winter time in Fargo.


Oh, come on! Fargo is located in *southern* North Dakota, and has relatively mild winters. It's *Minot* where the Empire Builder gets stuck because it's so cold the diesel fuel can't be pumped out of the tanker truck. And for really cold winter weather, my choice would be Cut Bank, Mont. They get down to -40 F almost every winter.

Here in balmy Minnesota, people complain about how many hours it's been below zero (F.). In Minot there was a 3-week spell last winter when the high temperature never reached -10. But it's a dry cold. . .

Dress in layers, remember the polypro long underwear, and bring a change of face mask, and you'll be fine. Remember, it's not bad weather, it's poor clothing choices that cause problems.


----------



## the_traveler (Jul 5, 2009)

I'll never learn! I lived in upstate New York for 34 years, where at least once or twice a year it was the coldest place in the country. So I moved - where to? :huh:

The second hottest place in the country, of course! :lol: (But it was only 2nd due to a technicality - Bullhead City, AZ may have been 125º, but Lake Havasu City, AZ or Needles, CA was 126º!) I lived there for 6 years, and a "cool" day was under 115º!  Where to next? :unsure:


----------



## jackal (Jul 5, 2009)

AlanB said:


> whistler said:
> 
> 
> > One practice I haven't seen mentioned is when you make the reservation call or include in your reservation request a note that you won't be arriving until late or early the next morning.
> ...


And maybe not at all until you tell them to! I had a reservation with a Homewood Suites (a Hilton brand) with a note that we'd be arriving after midnight. When we got to the hotel, there was a slight moment of panic as the front desk clerk said he had canceled our reservation when we hadn't shown up by midnight. I mentioned that I had told the hotel to put a note in that we'd have an after-midnight arrival, and he read the notes and saw that I was right. Fortunately, he still had a room, and so he reopened the reservation and got us taken care of.

I would hope a middle-higher-end chain like the Homewood Suites would have a reservation manifest they can scroll through or print that includes notes to ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen! Hopefully it was just a one-time oversight...

Lesson learned, though: when you have a special request like this, it's not enough to ensure you've made arrangements and notations: it's probably a good idea to call and speak directly with the person who will be working during the time you'll be needing whatever arrangements you're making and let them know about the arrangement. In other words, if you have a late arrival, call in the early evening and say "I have a reservation tonight but my plane won't be landing until 1am. Can you tell whoever is working at 2am not to cancel my room?" Or if you're renting a car and there's a chance your plane might be late and cause you to arrive after the desk closes, call as late as possible before they close (right before you board your plane) and ask the person who will be working the closing shift if they could stay an extra few minutes for you (if they hesitate, bribe them by saying you'll bring them a $10 Starbucks gift card or something!). But it's not enough just to talk to someone who will be getting off before you get there: you need to speak with the person who will actually be there when you arrive!


----------



## amtrakwolverine (Jul 6, 2009)

what i plain on doing is calling the hotel from the train and saying this is ----- i have a reservation. just to let you know that im ---- hours from boston and should be there around--- so let whoever is working the desk at that time to expect me around ----.


----------



## jackal (Jul 6, 2009)

amtrakwolverine said:


> what i plain on doing is calling the hotel from the train and saying this is ----- i have a reservation. just to let you know that im ---- hours from boston and should be there around--- so let whoever is working the desk at that time to expect me around ----.


Good plan, and exactly what I'd do. (I'd probably wait a bit, though, until only a couple hours from when I plan on arriving, just to try to make sure I actually speak with the person who will be there when I will.)

Of course, it's only necessary to do this when you have some sort of special arrangement like a scheduled pick-up, a late arrival, or something of that nature.


----------



## caravanman (Jul 6, 2009)

Thanks for all the tips and advice..

I was reminded by the cold diesel fuel posting about my trip to India in the early 1980's. Surprisingly cold in Manali in Northern India in the winter.. Early one morning, dressed in just about every bit of warm clothing we had, we made our way on foot to the bus area, and were amazed to see the drivers lighting fires beneath the buses to warm and thin the fuel. It needs quite a degree of judgement.. This day a huge commotion broke out as one of the buses started to catch alight. We were treated to the sight of the local fire brigade arriving at the double.. quite a small ancient red Landrover with one ladder and some rather worried looking but very vocal and excited staff.

I am guessing that Amtrak have rules about not lighting fires under the diesel tankers in winter..

Back in those days, I was quite happy and relaxed to arrive in a strange town, not speaking the language, and hope for the best on finding accomodation. No option to book ahead in those budget travel days!

Thanks again folks,

Ed


----------



## amtrakwolverine (Jul 6, 2009)

jackal said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> > what i plain on doing is calling the hotel from the train and saying this is ----- i have a reservation. just to let you know that im ---- hours from boston and should be there around--- so let whoever is working the desk at that time to expect me around ----.
> ...


yeah i arrive at 10PM if the train is on time(yes its 9:10PM but you need time to catch a cab or whatever) so i will send 2 emails the day before i arrive sense i won't have internet access on the train. one to the manager and one to the front desk telling them to tell whoever is working on the 29th around that time to expect me around that time. then i will call the next day to let them know again.


----------



## Cascadia (Jul 6, 2009)

The lack of rail service between Fargo and Winnipeg has made me wonder about just floating north on the Red River. Wonder how long it would take in a canoe? Wonder what is at the border there - does anyone know? What would be the problems and obstacles you'd run into, other than clouds of vicous mosquitoes?

Wonder if there was ever a passenger steamboat or other excursion boat between the two cities?


----------



## Ispolkom (Jul 6, 2009)

Cascadia said:


> The lack of rail service between Fargo and Winnipeg has made me wonder about just floating north on the Red River. Wonder how long it would take in a canoe? Wonder what is at the border there - does anyone know? What would be the problems and obstacles you'd run into, other than clouds of vicous mosquitoes?
> Wonder if there was ever a passenger steamboat or other excursion boat between the two cities?


A couple of teenagers canoed  last summer from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay up the Red River. I'm sure it was a great adventure, but it sounds a little more arduous than I'd like.

There were steamboats on the Red River, but the problem is that most of the year the river is either a) frozen, b) flooding, or c) exceedingly low.

I double checked and, as I remembered, the bus really isn't well-timed, going from Fargo to Winnipeg at 3 p.m., about 12 hours after the Empire Builder arrives.


----------



## Cascadia (Jul 8, 2009)

Hey Ispolkom, thanks for posting about that canoe trip, if I was still living in MN I would have heard of that for sure, but it had escaped me out here on the NW coast.

I had friends in high school who did stuff like that, rode bikes to Alaska, etc.

Cool story!

(Wonder if anyone has ever cross- country skiied up the Red River from Fargo to Winnipeg? BRRRRRRR!)


----------



## Ispolkom (Jul 8, 2009)

Cascadia said:


> Cool story!
> (Wonder if anyone has ever cross- country skiied up the Red River from Fargo to Winnipeg? BRRRRRRR!)


Well there were the two guys who snowkited across North Dakota in February 2008 to highlight North Dakota's wind energy potential. Come on, guys, I think that North Dakotans know that the wind blows all the time.

To connect this up with railroads, one visionary scheme to solve the lack to transmission capacity for wind power farms is for BNSF to run transmission lines on its right of way in exchange for cheap electricity to run trains. It seems like a big project to me, after all didn't it take the Soviets/Russians 70-80 years to electrify the Trans Siberian?

Don't ask why I know about every hare-brained expedition in the upper Midwest. It's a gift, I guess.


----------



## the_traveler (Jul 8, 2009)

Ispolkom said:


> Don't ask why I know about every hare-brained expedition in the upper Midwest. It's a gift, I guess.


Either that, or you have nothing better to do! :lol:


----------

