Hello Amtrak fans, I will be boarding the Empire Builder later today at WIN and traveling to PDX. Just thought I would post this. This will be my fifth Empire Builder excursion.
Empire Builder
- Thread starter boxcarrob
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Welcome - let us know how the trip goes.
Welcome to the club!Couldnt pick a better train to mention in yoiur first post/give us a report when
you can, I just rode #8 in the other direction!
G
[email protected]_
Guest
Hey boxcarrob my wife and I will be riding the Empire Builder next month to Spokane,Washington.
Rail Freak
Engineer
Welcome,
I just did the Columbia River PDX-SPK-PDX & loved it!!! Glacier Park is spectacular, as well! AHH, What The Hell, can't leave out the #7 & #8 between SEA-SPK, LOL!!!
Enjoy your 5th trip, seems like you always experience something Different!
RF
I just did the Columbia River PDX-SPK-PDX & loved it!!! Glacier Park is spectacular, as well! AHH, What The Hell, can't leave out the #7 & #8 between SEA-SPK, LOL!!!
Enjoy your 5th trip, seems like you always experience something Different!
RF
The EB does kind of grow on one. You just have to ride it every year or so. I'll be heading west on the EB out to Glacier Nat'l in early Sept. For my sixth EB excursion. Have a good trip.
Cascadia
OBS Chief
Winona is such a pretty area. What a nice place to depart from. Are you taking a sleeper to Portland or riding in coach? Have a great trip, wish I was getting on the Empire Builder! I live close to the end of the line out here on the Washington coast. I keep racking up AGR points and hoping to plan a big trip one of these days.
Next week will be my third Spokane to Chicago round trip on EB this year, plus 3 or 4 Spokane-Seattle EB overnights and 4 Spokane-Portland overnight EB's to connect with the CS. Great train and routing. I would like to try the CZ all the way to Chicago though. I have done the SWC from Kingman, AZ to Chicago.
I've taken the full EB route a couple of times: Once from Seattle to Chicago and once, just recently, from Chicago to Portland. And have taken it for several short runs, as I live an hour or so from Spokane. The scenery never gets old! In addition I took an EB round-trip in 1965, when it was run by the Great Northern, from Spokane to Chicago and back.
Whether it's the shoreline of Puget Sound, the Washington Cascades, Glacier Park, the Columbia Gorge, the Mississippi River, or even the plains of Montana and North Dakota, the scenery is great. If I have to live near any Amtrak route, the Empire Builder's is as good as any!
Whether it's the shoreline of Puget Sound, the Washington Cascades, Glacier Park, the Columbia Gorge, the Mississippi River, or even the plains of Montana and North Dakota, the scenery is great. If I have to live near any Amtrak route, the Empire Builder's is as good as any!
lyke99
Service Attendant
I'll be anxious to read a trip report. I am doing a WIN-PDX-SEA-WIN trip next summer.
Crescent ATN & TCL
OBS Chief
Me and my mom would love to do the full route of the EB, But living along the Crescents route involves going to WAS to get to CHI unless we get their by other means. We both hate driving long distances and hate flying period, So we have to find enough time and stamina to go the whole way to SEA in one long trip. We'll probably try it once we save up enough AGR points to cut the cost and find enough time to do it.
I forgot about this post.
The trip was very good. I traveled in early August so the train was packed. I brought all my own food (canned vegtables, bread, and peanut butter). We went through a thunder storm going into Glacier. My favorite part was the Columbia River Gorge from the TriCities until Portland sitting at a table with a map, following along and chatting with others. I had to fly back due to time constraints.
The trip was very good. I traveled in early August so the train was packed. I brought all my own food (canned vegtables, bread, and peanut butter). We went through a thunder storm going into Glacier. My favorite part was the Columbia River Gorge from the TriCities until Portland sitting at a table with a map, following along and chatting with others. I had to fly back due to time constraints.
T
Travis
Guest
What are the Empire Builder on board 'extras' not offered on other the Amtrak routes?
AAARGH!
Conductor
IIRC:
- Wine or champaign when you board (in sleepers)
- Linen tablecloths
- Silverware (as opposed to fancy plastic ware.
- Glass cups instead of plastic
- All refurbished Superliner I's.
- IMHO, better employees - they seem to know they are on a premier route and act like it.
- I think they gave you a passenger kit, stuff in a bag, but I don't remember the details.
cpamtfan
OBS Chief
Well I don't think their "plastic utensils", just easily bendible metal :huh: .
Sometimes they have to put an unrefurbished car on, but hey thats just how the sycle works.
Sometimes they have to put an unrefurbished car on, but hey thats just how the sycle works.
JoanieBlon
Service Attendant
Sounds NICE!! My husband and I will be traveling on the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle December 30th - January 1st. We'll be celebrating New Year's Eve onboard!
My only concern for this trip is that we might miss some of the beautiful scenery due to the short Winter daylight hours.... :unsure: We originally were going to spend these days in New Orleans (Dec-30th through Jan-3rd) but decided to try out the Empire Builder instead. We took the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville (bus on to San Francisco) in September and enjoyed the experience SO MUCH that we decided that another train trip was in order!
I think the next trip we'll be taking will either be the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles OR the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio connecting to the Sunset Limited on to Los Angeles.... - Status
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