Trip Report, Empire Builder #7 – Chicago to Seattle.
Departure date from Chicago: Wed. March 30, 2022.
Accommodation: Roomette, Car 0730, Room 3, Cost: 23,111 AGR points (one person).
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Train consist:
ALC-42 Diesel #301 (facing forward)
P42 Diesel #196 (facing forward)
P42 Diesel #134 (facing forward)
Viewliner Baggage #61025
Superliner Dorm #39038
Superliner Sleeper #32086 (CAR 0730)
Superliner Diner #38031
Superliner Coach #34097
Superliner Lounge #33027 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Coach #34133 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Sleeper #32040 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Dorm #39029 (PORTLAND section)
DOTX 221 FRA Inspection Car (Off at Spokane, or most likely went with Portland section)
One P42 taken off at Spokane for PORTLAND section, most likely #134 went with Portland section)
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Flickr link to photos: Amtrak Empire Builder
YouTube video of train consist (NOT MY VIDEO, someone likely was out filming the ALC-42, but this is MY TRAIN):
SUMMARY OF TRIP:
I arrived around noon to Chicago Union Station, and made my way to the Metropolitan Lounge. It began to rain moderately at this time, thus my Uber ride cost a ridiculous 10.98 + tip for about half a mile from my hotel (which was the Hyatt Centric, the Loop). And that Uber car was the most dirtiest, smelliest car I had ever been in. Had it not been raining, I would have walked. We were called to board around 1:45pm, and this was total chaos. No one led us out the door (I thought the Lounge provided ‘direct access’ to the trains??), no, it was just a door that led you out to a same area other passengers are. No one knew where to go, luckily we had a somewhat younger guy who ‘knew’ what track we were on (most likely someone familiar with Amtrak travels). We waited in line, coach and sleeper passengers separated. The gate dragon lady, was very strict, and yelling orders where to line up. Then, slowly, passengers were called to start boarding the train. Luckily, I was not searched by law enforcement, this usually happens because of my profile (because I travel solo, usually one way, and my ethnicity). Every time I explain to them, that I usually fly one way and return next day by train (or vice-versa), they think that’s weird and unusual.
Train left exactly on time, and this was a weird feeling. My body ‘felt’ like we were heading south, but in fact we were heading north. There was no sun, it was a rainy and dark afternoon, maybe that threw my orientations off. The train looked not too crowded at this time, my sleeping car (a Superliner II by the way), did not seem too occupied. Later on, though, it did begin to fill up. Dinner I had the chicken breast, it was not too bad, the only problem is the dining car was freezing. Those air vents in the diner were too powerful, thus made my food cold rather quickly. And I must say, the food came out VERY quick, I think they are/were microwaved. Dining car staff, was pleasant and friendly, got the job done well overall. We were allowed to sit solo, unless you were travelling together, and no coach passengers were allowed in the diner. Overnite, I found it fairly good to sleep, I stayed up till St. Paul. I kept getting shocked though because of the blanket, they were FULL of static! And also be careful with the outlet, it actually fell out of its holder, I saw the wires exposed, so I taped it with duct tape. DON’T always count on that outlet to work for your electronics! (But luckily, mine had no issues, just had to make sure it was secured).
One thing I love about train travel, is enclosing yourself in your darkened room and just watching all the lights go by, be it street lights, car lights, buildings, whatever, I LOVE that. The track north St. Paul, was weird, it was like ‘long’ jointed rail. Best way I can describe it was like this: Clang-clang, boom-boom…...clang-clang, boom-boom. It was weird, it was like you could feel the weight of the Superliner really banging/sinking into the joints. The joints felt long in between, and I think we were probably moving about 25 mph. Anyone know what railroad we were on, or what track/line this is on?
Next day, I had breakfast, I think I had the egg and croissant, it was okay too, just got cold. Enjoyed the solo eating. Outside, the weather was probably in the 20s. We were still dead on time, and in fact, arrived into Minot, ND about an hour early, I got out, and it was 20, so I bundled up (no snow, although there was ice and a bit of snow on the crevices of the exteriors of the Superliners). I do remember waking up earlier in Fargo, and saw large piles of snow that had been moved, but it was not snowing at all. I decided to skip lunch, for the sake of saving calories, I just had some snacks and nuts that I had brought. For dinner, I had the flat iron steak, but it was not the steak I remember from the past. It was okay as well, and this time decided to skip desert, to save sugar and calories.
Once past Browning, MT, the scenery quickly changed, I can see we were heading toward the mountains and Glacier NP, there was lots of snow on the ground and more and more of it. Lots of fog and low clouds too, and a bit of snow showers, not much though. The high peaks, though, were covered in clouds. We were still on time, and we sat at Essex for about 20 minutes, the ALC42 had to have its computer reset. This was the ONLY delay the whole trip, and we quickly made it well up. I slept fairly well, and I do remember going (hearing) the Flathead (?) tunnel.
The Superliner IIs, are showing their age, but however, not one thing failed on them. The HVAC worked great, plenty of water, the toilets never failed or overflowed, in fact, I was surprised at the number of people using the toilet upstairs/flushing it, yet the tanks never got full. The shower water pressure was TREMENDOUS, so much that I was afraid it would run out of water, so I took the fastest showers possible. I do have a fear of using the shower while the train is in motion. Certainly DON’T want to be in there during a derailment or quick emergency stop.
Woke up at Spokane, but didn’t see any of the cutting off of the Portland cars (which is everything from the Lounge to the rear, as well as one P42). But I do remember the HEP going off for only a few minutes. Our train continued to Seattle with the ALC42, P42, Baggage, Dorm, Sleeper, Diner, and Coach.
Next morning, we wake up in the Cascades, some snow also, had the last quick breakfast, the railroad French toast. Since coach passengers now don’t have a lounge, they offer a ‘mini breakfast café option to purchase a handful of selected items, the smallest menu I had ever seen, I thought it was kind of cute. (In fact, I bought the 3.00 blueberry muffin to have as an emergency snack for later). Went through the Cascade tunnel (about 12 minutes), then everything else continued well. Arrived into Everett (I didn’t know there was a good size tunnel under Everett), and finally arrived Seattle, 25 minutes early. I am always fascinated by the Great Northern tunnel that goes under downtown Seattle, I think that’s fascinating. Anyhow, this one time where I wish the train would be late, but it wasn’t. I couldn’t get to my hotel this early, so I stayed in the station as long as possible, about 45 minutes. Keep in mind I have a large suitcase, so I can’t just walk around with it. And nowhere did I see baggage storage options. This station is so well patrolled and guarded, ONLY ticketed passengers were allowed, no homeless whatsoever, it was VERY safe. There was like five officers. One of the officers came around asking what I was doing (I was pretty much the last one left), I explained, well my hotel (The Best Western Pioneer Square) won’t be ready for a while. He didn’t say I could not stay, but I think he would have preferred I not be there. He said...this is what I would do, just show up at the hotel, they will let you check in early. He said he travels a lot, and if hotels see you waiting in the lobby, they will let you check in early, rather than have you wait in the lobby. I took a chance, and grabbed a cab (I could of walked, but my suitcase is too heavy), and sure enough, the Best Western Pioneer Square let me check in at 11:15! They were SO nice.
I then unpacked, and decided to head to the Link light rail, to go two stops to Westlake, to transfer to the Monorail, to visit the Space Needle. What happened to the buses in the bus tunnel??? It felt DEAD waiting at Pioneer Square for the train. The trains, though, at FOUR cars (FOUR total articulated sets), was packed. The Space Needle was great, then got back to Westlake, then ate at Cheesecake Factory, then headed back. Since I had heard the area around Pioneer Square is not the best after dark and I was tired, I called it early by 4pm and just relaxed in my room the rest of the eve. Overall, I know Seattle is suffering from homeless problems, but just stay out those areas and travel during daylight, no problem at all. There were no tents in Pioneer Square, they must have been cleaned up.
All in all, it was a great trip, and the sleeper attendant, while she did her job, kind of disappeared and only showed up when needed, but got the job done. Also, I wish she would have emptied the trash bins in the restrooms more often, as always, they overflow, but overall, the restrooms were clean. I just hate how small they are in those Superliner II’s, I like the ones in the refurbished Superliner I’s where they are tilted at an angle, much better for spreading out.
Departure date from Chicago: Wed. March 30, 2022.
Accommodation: Roomette, Car 0730, Room 3, Cost: 23,111 AGR points (one person).
*****************************************************************
Train consist:
ALC-42 Diesel #301 (facing forward)
P42 Diesel #196 (facing forward)
P42 Diesel #134 (facing forward)
Viewliner Baggage #61025
Superliner Dorm #39038
Superliner Sleeper #32086 (CAR 0730)
Superliner Diner #38031
Superliner Coach #34097
Superliner Lounge #33027 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Coach #34133 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Sleeper #32040 (PORTLAND section)
Superliner Dorm #39029 (PORTLAND section)
DOTX 221 FRA Inspection Car (Off at Spokane, or most likely went with Portland section)
One P42 taken off at Spokane for PORTLAND section, most likely #134 went with Portland section)
**********************************************************
Flickr link to photos: Amtrak Empire Builder
YouTube video of train consist (NOT MY VIDEO, someone likely was out filming the ALC-42, but this is MY TRAIN):
SUMMARY OF TRIP:
I arrived around noon to Chicago Union Station, and made my way to the Metropolitan Lounge. It began to rain moderately at this time, thus my Uber ride cost a ridiculous 10.98 + tip for about half a mile from my hotel (which was the Hyatt Centric, the Loop). And that Uber car was the most dirtiest, smelliest car I had ever been in. Had it not been raining, I would have walked. We were called to board around 1:45pm, and this was total chaos. No one led us out the door (I thought the Lounge provided ‘direct access’ to the trains??), no, it was just a door that led you out to a same area other passengers are. No one knew where to go, luckily we had a somewhat younger guy who ‘knew’ what track we were on (most likely someone familiar with Amtrak travels). We waited in line, coach and sleeper passengers separated. The gate dragon lady, was very strict, and yelling orders where to line up. Then, slowly, passengers were called to start boarding the train. Luckily, I was not searched by law enforcement, this usually happens because of my profile (because I travel solo, usually one way, and my ethnicity). Every time I explain to them, that I usually fly one way and return next day by train (or vice-versa), they think that’s weird and unusual.
Train left exactly on time, and this was a weird feeling. My body ‘felt’ like we were heading south, but in fact we were heading north. There was no sun, it was a rainy and dark afternoon, maybe that threw my orientations off. The train looked not too crowded at this time, my sleeping car (a Superliner II by the way), did not seem too occupied. Later on, though, it did begin to fill up. Dinner I had the chicken breast, it was not too bad, the only problem is the dining car was freezing. Those air vents in the diner were too powerful, thus made my food cold rather quickly. And I must say, the food came out VERY quick, I think they are/were microwaved. Dining car staff, was pleasant and friendly, got the job done well overall. We were allowed to sit solo, unless you were travelling together, and no coach passengers were allowed in the diner. Overnite, I found it fairly good to sleep, I stayed up till St. Paul. I kept getting shocked though because of the blanket, they were FULL of static! And also be careful with the outlet, it actually fell out of its holder, I saw the wires exposed, so I taped it with duct tape. DON’T always count on that outlet to work for your electronics! (But luckily, mine had no issues, just had to make sure it was secured).
One thing I love about train travel, is enclosing yourself in your darkened room and just watching all the lights go by, be it street lights, car lights, buildings, whatever, I LOVE that. The track north St. Paul, was weird, it was like ‘long’ jointed rail. Best way I can describe it was like this: Clang-clang, boom-boom…...clang-clang, boom-boom. It was weird, it was like you could feel the weight of the Superliner really banging/sinking into the joints. The joints felt long in between, and I think we were probably moving about 25 mph. Anyone know what railroad we were on, or what track/line this is on?
Next day, I had breakfast, I think I had the egg and croissant, it was okay too, just got cold. Enjoyed the solo eating. Outside, the weather was probably in the 20s. We were still dead on time, and in fact, arrived into Minot, ND about an hour early, I got out, and it was 20, so I bundled up (no snow, although there was ice and a bit of snow on the crevices of the exteriors of the Superliners). I do remember waking up earlier in Fargo, and saw large piles of snow that had been moved, but it was not snowing at all. I decided to skip lunch, for the sake of saving calories, I just had some snacks and nuts that I had brought. For dinner, I had the flat iron steak, but it was not the steak I remember from the past. It was okay as well, and this time decided to skip desert, to save sugar and calories.
Once past Browning, MT, the scenery quickly changed, I can see we were heading toward the mountains and Glacier NP, there was lots of snow on the ground and more and more of it. Lots of fog and low clouds too, and a bit of snow showers, not much though. The high peaks, though, were covered in clouds. We were still on time, and we sat at Essex for about 20 minutes, the ALC42 had to have its computer reset. This was the ONLY delay the whole trip, and we quickly made it well up. I slept fairly well, and I do remember going (hearing) the Flathead (?) tunnel.
The Superliner IIs, are showing their age, but however, not one thing failed on them. The HVAC worked great, plenty of water, the toilets never failed or overflowed, in fact, I was surprised at the number of people using the toilet upstairs/flushing it, yet the tanks never got full. The shower water pressure was TREMENDOUS, so much that I was afraid it would run out of water, so I took the fastest showers possible. I do have a fear of using the shower while the train is in motion. Certainly DON’T want to be in there during a derailment or quick emergency stop.
Woke up at Spokane, but didn’t see any of the cutting off of the Portland cars (which is everything from the Lounge to the rear, as well as one P42). But I do remember the HEP going off for only a few minutes. Our train continued to Seattle with the ALC42, P42, Baggage, Dorm, Sleeper, Diner, and Coach.
Next morning, we wake up in the Cascades, some snow also, had the last quick breakfast, the railroad French toast. Since coach passengers now don’t have a lounge, they offer a ‘mini breakfast café option to purchase a handful of selected items, the smallest menu I had ever seen, I thought it was kind of cute. (In fact, I bought the 3.00 blueberry muffin to have as an emergency snack for later). Went through the Cascade tunnel (about 12 minutes), then everything else continued well. Arrived into Everett (I didn’t know there was a good size tunnel under Everett), and finally arrived Seattle, 25 minutes early. I am always fascinated by the Great Northern tunnel that goes under downtown Seattle, I think that’s fascinating. Anyhow, this one time where I wish the train would be late, but it wasn’t. I couldn’t get to my hotel this early, so I stayed in the station as long as possible, about 45 minutes. Keep in mind I have a large suitcase, so I can’t just walk around with it. And nowhere did I see baggage storage options. This station is so well patrolled and guarded, ONLY ticketed passengers were allowed, no homeless whatsoever, it was VERY safe. There was like five officers. One of the officers came around asking what I was doing (I was pretty much the last one left), I explained, well my hotel (The Best Western Pioneer Square) won’t be ready for a while. He didn’t say I could not stay, but I think he would have preferred I not be there. He said...this is what I would do, just show up at the hotel, they will let you check in early. He said he travels a lot, and if hotels see you waiting in the lobby, they will let you check in early, rather than have you wait in the lobby. I took a chance, and grabbed a cab (I could of walked, but my suitcase is too heavy), and sure enough, the Best Western Pioneer Square let me check in at 11:15! They were SO nice.
I then unpacked, and decided to head to the Link light rail, to go two stops to Westlake, to transfer to the Monorail, to visit the Space Needle. What happened to the buses in the bus tunnel??? It felt DEAD waiting at Pioneer Square for the train. The trains, though, at FOUR cars (FOUR total articulated sets), was packed. The Space Needle was great, then got back to Westlake, then ate at Cheesecake Factory, then headed back. Since I had heard the area around Pioneer Square is not the best after dark and I was tired, I called it early by 4pm and just relaxed in my room the rest of the eve. Overall, I know Seattle is suffering from homeless problems, but just stay out those areas and travel during daylight, no problem at all. There were no tents in Pioneer Square, they must have been cleaned up.
All in all, it was a great trip, and the sleeper attendant, while she did her job, kind of disappeared and only showed up when needed, but got the job done. Also, I wish she would have emptied the trash bins in the restrooms more often, as always, they overflow, but overall, the restrooms were clean. I just hate how small they are in those Superliner II’s, I like the ones in the refurbished Superliner I’s where they are tilted at an angle, much better for spreading out.
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