First Time on Superliner/Empire Builder

[studioe]

After years of taking the Northeast Regional/Acela/Downeaster, I'm finally taking the jump to an overnight Amtrak trip, taking the Empire Builder from Chicago to Montana! I've never done anything like it, so I'd love any advice/tips from more seasoned pros on the rails. If it matters, I'll be in the 27 Empire Builder in a Superliner Bedroom Suite. Anything you think a first time rider should know would be much appreciated!

 

[montana mike]

First, since you will be in the Portland sleeper you will need to "hike" about 5 cars to get to the dining car. You can have the attendant bring you meals, but the dining car experience is worth the hike. You meet great people as well. Try to take advantage for at least some time, the lounge car. Great views. Where in Montana will you be getting off?

 

[Palmetto]

Bring duct tape to fix squeaks. I never have, but there's ample testimony that it comes in handy.

 

[choochoodood]

If you're on the #27 sleeper, you'll be in the last car of the train. Take advantage of the view of the journey from the passage door window at the rear of the car. I've shot some great videos from it.

Where are you getting off in Montana? If its Whitefish, you'll experience the beauty of Glacier National Park.

Although some people find it boring, I love seeing the vast open spaces in most of Montana and North Dakota. It's such a unique landscape, especially for those of us who live in the east.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[the_traveler]

Bring duct tape to fix squeaks. I never have, but there's ample testimony that it comes in handy.

Please, please, please - suggest and use gaffer tape instead! Duct tape leaves a sticky residue behind once removed, while gaffer tape does not! Please think about the next - and the next few passengers - in your room!

 

[George K]

Bring duct tape to fix squeaks. I never have, but there's ample testimony that it comes in handy.

Bring duct tape to fix squeaks. I never have, but there's ample testimony that it comes in handy.

Please, please, please - suggest and use gaffer tape instead! Duct tape leaves a sticky residue behind once removed, while gaffer tape does not! Please think about the next - and the next few passengers - in your room!

Good point about gaffer's tape. My experience is that it also tends to hold a bit better. I used gaffers's tape to hold my power strip down, and I stuck it to the window (!). Held for both of my end-to-end rides on the Empire Builder last week.

Also, a well-stuffed washcloth into a gap will frequently alleviate squeaks.

 

[Johanna]

- Be aware that it's not uncommon for long-distance trains to fall behind schedule, sometimes by several hours or more. If you're traveling to western Montana, your westbound arrival time could easily be pushed back to the middle of the night. If applicable, make sure your hotel can accommodate a possible late arrival. And in any case, don't plan anything too important for the first few hours after you're scheduled to arrive. Hopefully, you'll get lucky and arrive on time, but better safe than sorry.

- I find that it often gets cold on the train at night, and the in-room climate control doesn't always work that well, so I bring extra socks and a sweater that's comfortable for sleeping in. (You can also ask your sleeping car attendant for an extra blanket, but you might not know that you need one until after they've gone to bed.)

- Although Amtrak staff (unlike many restaurant servers) are paid a reasonable wage, gratuities for your sleeping car attendant and dining car staff are accepted and appreciated, especially if they go out of their way to help you at all (for example, by bringing your meals to your room). I make sure to bring an ample supply of small bills for this purpose.

- Long-distance trains are a great way to travel and see America, but they require a good amount of tolerance for the unexpected. There are the aforementioned delays, things in the car that don't work quite right, and inconsistent service in the sleeping cars and dining cars. If you're prepared to take these things in stride, and aren't expecting super-polished luxury travel, you'll be in a better state of mind to have a great time.

- In cases where things do go badly wrong, Amtrak is generous about offering vouchers for future travel in compensation, but you have to know to ask for them. It used to be that you had to call up Customer Relations and ask, but recently I submitted a complaint by email and was awarded an e-voucher without ever having to talk to a live person. You don't have to be a jerk about it - I'll say something like "On my recent trip, I was disappointed in XYZ, and I'm writing to see if I'm eligible for a voucher as compensation for the inconvenience."

 

[Skyline]

If you have a medium size or slightly larger backpack, it is more efficient to wear instead of bringing carry-on luggage, and can often hold more if packed correctly than small carry-on suitcases. Those intended for shorter backpacking trips are the best, and may have several external and internal pockets for easy organization. These can stand up on their own in a corner, or lay flat at the foot of a bed.

If you have room, a compact, lightweight sleeping bag is of great assistance to keep you cozy if it gets chilly. The one I take is down-filled, rated to 45 degrees. It reduces into a ball significantly smaller than a soccer ball using a compression stuff sack. If you don't need it for warmth, sleeping ON it rather than in it can help make the somewhat thin Amtrak mattress more comfortable.

 

[Karl1459]

I like to bring some of my own bottled water and snacks. Also I tend to pack a meal or two worth of food in the unlikely event the train is seriously delayed (to have as an option when Amtrak breaks out the "Dinty Moore Stew"). Having very basic tools have come in handy (above mentioned gaffers tape, phillips/flat screwdriver, small adjustable wrench, pocket knife). Bring reading material and a deck of cards, cell service will be spotty and wi-fi a miracle. Have fun.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Personally, I really like the Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Rice and prefer it over many of the other choices on the Dinner Menu. I eat it at home so why not on the train.

 

[montana mike]

I like to bring some of my own bottled water and snacks. Also I tend to pack a meal or two worth of food in the unlikely event the train is seriously delayed (to have as an option when Amtrak breaks out the "Dinty Moore Stew"). Having very basic tools have come in handy (above mentioned gaffers tape, phillips/flat screwdriver, small adjustable wrench, pocket knife). Bring reading material and a deck of cards, cell service will be spotty and wi-fi a miracle. Have fun.

No Wi-Fi on the Empire Builder. But cell service is mostly available from CHI thru MOT. When you get into Montana it's only available at and around the stations and of course no service when you go thru the southern edge of Glacier National Park. Enjoy the ride, some beautiful countryside.

 

[tonijustine]

Audio books are great to reduce your “to be read” list while allowing you to keep your eyes on the scenery.

 

[George K]

Personally, I really like the Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Rice and prefer it over many of the other choices on the Dinner Menu. I eat it at home so why not on the train.

Our 7-hour-late train from Portland to Chicago last week got served the Dinty Moore stew. It was offered to all passengers on the train, not just sleeper pax. Came with a croissant and some wild rice.

Surprisingly not bad. Even Mrs. George ate it...

 

[Paul CHI]

I always carry a small extension cord to make it easier to use a charger/gps, and a pair of ear plugs in case of noisy neighbors. Some people yell nonstop on their phones, though fortunately many parts of the EB route don't support that. But kids can get cranky (parents, too...)

 

[cpotisch]

Since it sounds like not only will this be your first time on a Superliner, but it will also be your first time on a sleeper or LD train of any kind, there's a lot you should know. Here are some of the basics:

• Bring gaffer tape, to deal with rattles without leaving residue behind.
• During the day, I would spend most of your time in the SSL, since you'll get by far the best views there.
• Tip the staff - I usually tip the dining car staff as I would in a restaurant, which is 15-20% of the menu price of what I ordered. For the SCA, I usually do $5 per passenger per night. If he/she is not good (hard to find, rude, unhelpful, etc.) I might tip a lot less. If they're exemplary, I might tip a lot more. But my typical rule of thumb is $5.
• Bring entertainment - bring/download a coupled books, movies, games, etc.
• Make sure that you have everything you'll need during the ride in a small enough bag that you can fit in your room. You don't want to be fishing pajamas and toiletries out from the baggage area when you're getting ready for bed.
• Be prepared for delays - it's very likely that the train is late, so make sure that anything you have planned does not require the EB to be particularly punctual.

Hope this helps!

 

[BoulderCO]

Cpotisch has good advice. In addition I would add:

For entertainment, also bring a small battery powered AM/FM radio with earphone. This will allow you to be aware of local events, happenings and news from the communities you pass through. I use this WAY more than I do pre-loaded books, movies or games.

If possible, take your meals in the dining car. Not in your room or seat.

Happy Travels!

... Craig

 

[cpotisch]

Cpotisch has good advice. In addition I would add:

For entertainment, also bring a small battery powered AM/FM radio with earphone. This will allow you to be aware of local events, happenings and news from the communities you pass through. I use this WAY more than I do pre-loaded books, movies or games.

If possible, take your meals in the dining car. Not in your room or seat.

Happy Travels!

... Craig

If you have a cellphone, I wouldn't bother with a radio. Pretty much anything a radio can do, you can do on a phone so I just don't see much point in bringing another thing. I do agree about taking your meals in the dining car for the most part, however sometimes it's nice to order "room service" and have breakfast in bed. Just my take.

 

[jebr]

If you have a cellphone, I wouldn't bother with a radio. Pretty much anything a radio can do, you can do on a phone so I just don't see much point in bringing another thing. I do agree about taking your meals in the dining car for the most part, however sometimes it's nice to order "room service" and have breakfast in bed. Just my take.

If you're looking for a local radio station, then nothing beats bringing along an old-fashioned radio. Finding similar ones on many cell phones requires having a compatible app that lists them, the radio station streams at all, and that you have data access along the route. A lot of these aren't true in many rural areas or for some rural stations (and even in big cities, streaming availability has become fragmented into multiple apps or knowing which website to go to.)

Some phones do have an FM tuner built-in that just requires wired headphones to work as an antenna, but that still leaves out AM radio (despite its reputation there's still some truly local AM stations that don't just syndicate national political programming, especially during morning and afternoon drive times, and AM signal does carry farther) and they don't always have the best reception. I certainly don't think it's a necessity to bring an AM/FM radio, but for certain people it might be an interesting or enjoyable option to have, and a cell phone certainly doesn't completely replace what an AM/FM radio offers.

 

[Maglev]

Although you will have two shower/toilet rooms in a suite, the bathrooms are quite small. I prefer to use the large shower downstairs. My wife finds the facilities in a bedroom awkward to use as a toilet and impossible to use as a shower, and even though she hates stairs she'll also go downstairs to shower.

 

[cpotisch]

Although you will have two shower/toilet rooms in a suite, the bathrooms are quite small. I prefer to use the large shower downstairs. My wife finds the facilities in a bedroom awkward to use as a toilet and impossible to use as a shower, and even though she hates stairs she'll also go downstairs to shower.

Agreed. In my opinion, it's still worth it to use the toilet in the bedroom, but when you're showering, that space can really be too small.

 

[erinch13]

I bring my own pillow!

A couple of charged power bricks to keep the iPad going, especially while in the lounge car. Stake a seat out there early if going through glacier. Sometimes peop,e spread out over more than one seat, and it is okay to ask them to move.

If you will be in Whitefish and want dinner, make a reservation. We were there last summer, and couldn’t find a place with room for dinner. Although we found a terrific pizza place.

The Hampton in Whitefish picks up at station, or there is a Hertz in the station.

 

[JRR]

Although you will have two shower/toilet rooms in a suite, the bathrooms are quite small. I prefer to use the large shower downstairs. My wife finds the facilities in a bedroom awkward to use as a toilet and impossible to use as a shower, and even though she hates stairs she'll also go downstairs to shower.

Agreed. In my opinion, it's still worth it to use the toilet in the bedroom, but when you're showering, that space can really be too small.

As a former sailboat owner, I have no trouble with the shower in the bedroom.