Portland Ore to Portland Me.

[colrip7]

Hi, My wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago, the Lakeshore Ltd to Boston and the Downeaster up to Portland Me. I have been reading over this forum for the last couple days and gained a bunch of information, but I am hoping someone can help me out of a few items. We will be staying in a Roomette all the way to Boston. What kind of clothes/shoes to pack for 3 nights? Are sandals or flip flops okay on the train? How about khaki shorts? Is there any room in the roomette for a couple of small bags (Change of clothes, other items)?

I think I have figured out we will be the last car - as we are coming out of Portland Or and will be added to the train out of Seattle. We already have our roomette number, and it appears to be on the lower level - Rm 12. Is this an okay place to be? I would think being on the upper level would give a better view and may be quieter as well. Is this so, can one change rooms and how would one go about it? We aren't leaving till Sept.

I have done a lot of reading about this trip and I am excited. The only other train trip we took that sounds remotely similar was an over night train from Rome to Paris. Small room (not as small as a roomette), a lot of stops and a bouncy ride that arrived about 3 hours late.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Hi, My wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago, the Lakeshore Ltd to Boston and the Downeaster up to Portland Me. I have been reading over this forum for the last couple days and gained a bunch of information, but I am hoping someone can help me out of a few items. We will be staying in a Roomette all the way to Boston. What kind of clothes/shoes to pack for 3 nights? Are sandals or flip flops okay on the train? How about khaki shorts? Is there any room in the roomette for a couple of small bags (Change of clothes, other items)? I think I have figured out we will be the last car - as we are coming out of Portland Or and will be added to the train out of Seattle. We already have our roomette number, and it appears to be on the lower level - Rm 12. Is this an okay place to be? I would think being on the upper level would give a better view and may be quieter as well. Is this so, can one change rooms and how would one go about it? We aren't leaving till Sept.

I have done a lot of reading about this trip and I am excited. The only other train trip we took that sounds remotely similar was an over night train from Rome to Paris. Small room (not as small as a roomette), a lot of stops and a bouncy ride that arrived about 3 hours late.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks

I would not wear sandals but I know of no rule against them-- I would still wear covered shoes.

Bring some light clothes to sleep in, like pajamas. Khaki shorts are fine. There's plenty of room in your room to store a few small bags and you can store a larger case in the lower level of the Superliner.

One way to save space is to roll up clothes and secure old ones in rubber bands-- or put them in travel sized "Space Bags".

Being in the upper versus lower level is a matter of personal preference. It may give you better views but it can have less sway and less foot traffic outside your room. Some don't like having to go upstairs to get to the lounge/diner but some like having the bathroom right there (and there is little to no smell, I've been in the same place and wondered if I was going to smell it and I was happy that there was none! If you want to change a room you can call Amtrak and ask what rooms are left unsold-- but be prepared to be told all rooms are sold out--

I have done both upper and lower level and, honestly, I think I preferred the lower level. There's less rocking and its easy to get on and off at smoke stops!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[AlanB]

Being in the upper versus lower level is a matter of personal preference. It may give you better views but it can have less sway and less foot traffic outside your room.

I think you got a bit tangled in your thoughts here. :lol:

The upper level may give better views, but it will have more foot traffic and more sway. The lower level room of course would be the opposite, with poorer views, but less sway and less foot traffic.

 

[Shanghai]

I prefer the lower level roomettes. It is move convenient to the shower and restrooms.

I do find it more quiet than the upper level.

I hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[colrip7]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like even if we did want to change, we wouldn't be able to, but I am getting the impression that being in room 12 has a few perks along with the down side -not as good of a view,I expect to spend most of the daylite time in the lounge car anyhow.

Since we are traveling in late summer, and I am retired, I typically wear flip flops and shorts along with a Hawaiian shirt - Amtrak etiquette wise, should I think about shifting to my fall wardrobe - long pants, shoes etc??

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Thanks for the info. It sounds like even if we did want to change, we wouldn't be able to, but I am getting the impression that being in room 12 has a few perks along with the down side -not as good of a view,I expect to spend most of the daylite time in the lounge car anyhow.Since we are traveling in late summer, and I am retired, I typically wear flip flops and shorts along with a Hawaiian shirt - Amtrak etiquette wise, should I think about shifting to my fall wardrobe - long pants, shoes etc??

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

You can get away with wearing all that on Amtrak when walking between cars though personally I would wear closed toe shoes. The Khaki's and shirts will be fine for Amtrak. it sounds like a great trip!

 

[jmbgeg]

Hi, My wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago, the Lakeshore Ltd to Boston and the Downeaster up to Portland Me. I have been reading over this forum for the last couple days and gained a bunch of information, but I am hoping someone can help me out of a few items. We will be staying in a Roomette all the way to Boston. What kind of clothes/shoes to pack for 3 nights? Are sandals or flip flops okay on the train? How about khaki shorts? Is there any room in the roomette for a couple of small bags (Change of clothes, other items)? I think I have figured out we will be the last car - as we are coming out of Portland Or and will be added to the train out of Seattle. We already have our roomette number, and it appears to be on the lower level - Rm 12. Is this an okay place to be? I would think being on the upper level would give a better view and may be quieter as well. Is this so, can one change rooms and how would one go about it? We aren't leaving till Sept.

I have done a lot of reading about this trip and I am excited. The only other train trip we took that sounds remotely similar was an over night train from Rome to Paris. Small room (not as small as a roomette), a lot of stops and a bouncy ride that arrived about 3 hours late.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks

Clothes: Comfortable clothes to wear in the sleeper. I like sweatpants or shorts and a t-shirt. Going to the diner, I put on Dockers, or nicer shorts.

Footwear: I wear sandals or slippers in the room. Slip on shoes walking around.

Lower level sleepers: In I am in a roomette, I prefer lower level over upper. Close to the luggage rack and shower. Easier to get out and walk around at stops.

Storage: One or two smaller carry ons in a roomette works. Larger bags don't. In the lower level you have close access to your bags in the luggae rack, so I would keep a minimum in the room.

Sounds like a fun trip.

 

[saxman]

You were on a European train that was 3 hours late?? Wow. Thats unusual.

But as others have said, I like the lower lever too. Also sitting near the rails, you get a better sense of speed. It feels like you're going faster when you're closer to the ground. Everyone else pretty much summed it up.

 

[DET63]

The only other train trip we took that sounds remotely similar was an over night train from Rome to Paris. Small room (not as small as a roomette), a lot of stops and a bouncy ride that arrived about 3 hours late.

They were letting Amtrak operate a train over in Europe?

 

[Ispolkom]

Since no one mentioned it, the main reason I wear covered shoes is for safety when crossing between cars. You could get your toes caught if things are bouncing around. Ick. And being in the Portland sleeper you'll get a lot of experience going through cars.

I'm cheap, so I save the bags Sunday newspapers come in. I put each day's clothes in one of them, and pack them at the top of the suitcase I leave on the rack downstairs. It's easy to grab them on the way to the shower in the morning. Did I get this idea from The Traveler?

Be sure to try out the shower, it's a hoot, especially going around curves. On the other hand, I don't recommend shaving on a moving train. If you do, they have bandaids in the lounge car.

I've been in just about every room in a Superliner sleeper, and they are all just fine. Like ALC and Shanghai, I'm partial to downstairs, though my favorite is the family bedroom. Downstairs the view might not be as good, but if your window's dirty you can get off and clean it during a stop. Try that in an upper-level room. If you want to take pictures, be sure to check out the window at the end of your car. It's the best view short of being in the locomotive cab.

Have a great trip! I'll be on much of your route in November (Minot, ND to Boston) so I'd be grateful if you'd post a trip report.

 

[wayman]

On the other hand, I don't recommend shaving on a moving train. If you do, they have bandaids in the lounge car.

Advice I wish I'd gotten years ago!!! :unsure: :blink:

 

[Ispolkom]

Advice I wish I'd gotten years ago!!! :unsure: :blink:

Word to the wise, brother, word to the wise. Or, in this case, advice to people as stupid as me.

 

[DET63]

On the other hand, I don't recommend shaving on a moving train. If you do, they have bandaids in the lounge car.

Use an electric.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hi, My wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago, the Lakeshore Ltd to Boston and the Downeaster up to Portland Me. I have been reading over this forum for the last couple days and gained a bunch of information, but I am hoping someone can help me out of a few items. We will be staying in a Roomette all the way to Boston. What kind of clothes/shoes to pack for 3 nights? Are sandals or flip flops okay on the train? How about khaki shorts? Is there any room in the roomette for a couple of small bags (Change of clothes, other items)? I think I have figured out we will be the last car - as we are coming out of Portland Or and will be added to the train out of Seattle. We already have our roomette number, and it appears to be on the lower level - Rm 12. Is this an okay place to be? I would think being on the upper level would give a better view and may be quieter as well. Is this so, can one change rooms and how would one go about it? We aren't leaving till Sept.

I have done a lot of reading about this trip and I am excited. The only other train trip we took that sounds remotely similar was an over night train from Rome to Paris. Small room (not as small as a roomette), a lot of stops and a bouncy ride that arrived about 3 hours late.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks

Since theyve covered the EB pretty well,I noticed no-one mentioned the change to the LSL in CHI.This train is single level as

opposed to the bi-level Superliners on the EB,you might know that they have the toliet and sink in the room,the ride on the LSL

can be a little rough so the info about shaving is good!Hope you make your connection in CHI on time,Amtrak is pretty good

about accomidating pax when they are running late, especially on the EB in my experience!You do know that you will not have

dinner on the LSL out of CHI right?They have a reception with wine/snacks in the diner for sleeper pax/breakfast and lunch

come in New York so hopefully youll have time for dinner in CHI(lots of posts on this subject!)The Downeaster is one Im going to ride

in the fall, hear great things about this train!Enjoy the ride and wear your casual clothes,Im a short/t-shirt/hawaiian shirt guy myself,

I wore tennis shoes or Nike All Purpose Sandals on my trips with no problems,the point about the walk between cars is very valid,please be careful and have a great trip!As the traveler says, any train with me on it is a good train!(one last tip:

it can get chilly @ night on the train so take a light jacket or sweater that is comfortable!)

 

[Konrad]

You were on a European train that was 3 hours late?? Wow. Thats unusual.

Not for Italian Railways!

 

[GG-1]

Ah Whats wrong with Hawaiian Shirts? :lol: Shorts depends on your legs. But for walking the train wear real shoes.

Aloha

 

[JSmith]

If you want to change a room you can call Amtrak and ask what rooms are left unsold-- but be prepared to be told all rooms are sold out--

If you do want to try to change, it's worth calling. Even if it was sold out, rooms often open up as people cancel or change their plans. I booked two roomettes for my family on an upcoming trip on the LSL and the rooms the website assigned were diagonally across from each other. I called Amtrak to see if they could change them to be right across the hall from each other and the agent was able to do so.

So if you have a room location preference, it never hurts to call and see if it's possible to change your room assignment.

 

[the_traveler]

Ah Whats wrong with Hawaiian Shirts? :lol:
Aloha

I promise I'll wear my Hawaiian Shirt on Amtrak as soon as I can ride Amtrak to Hawaii!

 

[wisEBfan]

Hi, My wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago . . . Are sandals or flip flops okay on the train? . . . Is there any room in the roomette for a couple of small bags (Change of clothes, other items)? I think I have figured out we will be the last car - as we are coming out of Portland Or and will be added to the train out of Seattle. We already have our roomette number, and it appears to be on the lower level - Rm 12. Is this an okay place to be? I would think being on the upper level would give a better view and may be quieter as well.

As others have stated, you'll want regular shoes for moving around on the train. However, I use flip flops for taking a shower, so still bring those.

If there are two of you in the roomette, the little "shelf" in the roomette will be needed to step up into the upper berth, so it may be inconvenient to have a small suitcase sitting there during the night. (during the day, no problem). However, there are a couple of hangers in the closet, plus several hooks in the room itself, that you can use to set out clothes for the following day, so you may not need a suitcase in your room during the overnight hours. The closet also has a shelf inside along the top, that you can use to store shaving/shower items for use in the morning (I use plastic zip-lock bags for these items). In any event, your main carryon suitcases will be on the shelves just around the corner from Roomette 12, on the hallway shelves, so you will have easy access to them anytime (however, remember, if you actually check any bags in Portland thru to Chicago, you will not have access to those at anytime during the trip).

I took one trip in Roomette 13, and I second what others have said: there is less side-to-side sway in the lower level, but the view is not quite as good. Track noise was no problem, at least in that particular sleeper. If anyone boards/detrains from the sleeper in the middle of the night, you'll have some noise out in the hallway of course, but it wasn't a problem.

One other thing I have always found useful: Bring a couple of large binder clips along to help close the window and/or hallway curtains in case the velcro strips don't quite match up.

To give you a quick look at that downstairs area, here is a video that ends with Roomette 13; 12 would be back one and to the right.



Have a nice trip.

 

[colrip7]

Wow!! getting some great advice. thanks all. A couple of questions though - We are planning on taking a carry on, but also checking one bag a piece. Will we have access to those bags while on the EB?? How about on the LSL?? Will the bags be "checked" all the way through to Boston, or will we have to gather them up in Chicago and watch them till we board the LSL - presuming we are not to late into Chicago?

I suspect the weather will be a little cooler than what we have been experiencing here lately, so the shoes and shorts won't be a problem.

The train we took from Rome to Paris was Italian, and they either did not speak english, or just didn't want to. We were supposed to be in Paris at around 8 am, but we were in the middle of mustard fields (Dijon). No one explained anything, we just got to Paris when we got there (11am). It was great fun though and sort of prepared us for this adventure.

I am starting a list of things to remember to take. Some Windex is now on the list.

 

[colrip7]

I was writing my reply when the previous message came in. thanks for the info and the video. You answered most of my questions before I got a chance to ask them.

I will add some tape and string or clips to my list.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Wow!! getting some great advice. thanks all. A couple of questions though - We are planning on taking a carry on, but also checking one bag a piece. Will we have access to those bags while on the EB?? How about on the LSL?? Will the bags be "checked" all the way through to Boston, or will we have to gather them up in Chicago and watch them till we board the LSL - presuming we are not to late into Chicago?I suspect the weather will be a little cooler than what we have been experiencing here lately, so the shoes and shorts won't be a problem.

The train we took from Rome to Paris was Italian, and they either did not speak english, or just didn't want to. We were supposed to be in Paris at around 8 am, but we were in the middle of mustard fields (Dijon). No one explained anything, we just got to Paris when we got there (11am). It was great fun though and sort of prepared us for this adventure.

I am starting a list of things to remember to take. Some Windex is now on the list.

Im sure others will weigh in but FWIW: depending on whether or not you are "on time" into CHI you may have anywhere from

3+hrs. to 0 minutes to make your connection!If you need the bags you can take them into the Metro-Lounge where they do have

a baggage storeage room(tips appreciated! ).I fyou check them through you will not have access to them till you arrive in BOS!

Also remember than small bags will fit under your bottom bunk but you will NOT have access to them while the bed is down(also

be sure they dont get mashed if anything is breakable/fragile!)There will be more room in the sleeper on the LSL(and the restroom is

in the room! )including a shelf to set your bag on!The top bunk in the superliner is a little cramped(an understatement! :lol: )so who

gets to sleep where is an age old question TBD by yall! :lol: No real problem putting your big bags in the rack downstairs on the superliner

where you will have access the whole trip!Perhaps you might want to keep them till CHI since its a two day/2 night trip,then check

them in CHI to BOS for the overnight trip??Wish I was going as the traveler says!

 

[Ispolkom]

Wow!! getting some great advice. thanks all. A couple of questions though - We are planning on taking a carry on, but also checking one bag a piece. Will we have access to those bags while on the EB?? How about on the LSL?? Will the bags be "checked" all the way through to Boston, or will we have to gather them up in Chicago and watch them till we board the LSL - presuming we are not to late into Chicago?I suspect the weather will be a little cooler than what we have been experiencing here lately, so the shoes and shorts won't be a problem.

You can (and ought to) check your bags straight through to Boston, so be sure to pack changes of clothing, any medicine, etc. in your carry-on.

I wouldn't worry about missing your connection, since the Lake Shore Limited leaves so late, and Amtrak would probably hold it for you. In the last month, the Empire Builder only was extremely late one day (it arrived at 2:14 a.m. on July 23). Most days it was early to an hour late.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Ah Whats wrong with Hawaiian Shirts? :lol:
Aloha

I promise I'll wear my Hawaiian Shirt on Amtrak as soon as I can ride Amtrak to Hawaii!

Hey Dave, theres an idea!Maybe the stimulus $$$ can fund a ferry to transport the new "Pineapple Express"

from the coast to the islands!Would make Eric and you(and most of us too! very happy!)Ive got a couple of

dynamite ones Ill save for this trip! Jim

 

[alanh]

You're probably aware of this, but just a reminder: the Lakeshore Limited arrives at Boston South station, and the Downeaster leaves from Boston North station. You're responsible for transferring yourself and your luggage between stations.