Trip Report to Whitefish, Montana

[Northwestern]

I just returned from a trip, on the Empire Builder, to Whitefish, Montana. It was my 3rd trip to Whitefish so far.
I took an Alaska Airline flight from Santa Rosa, CA to Portland, OR. Then Empire Builder #27 to Whitefish.



The Metropolitan Lounge at the Portland Amtrak station. You can board your train directly from the lounge.



I like to take a radio along in my sleeper. In the past I could pull in a few stations in Idaho, mainly Boise. However, this time around, the radio didn't work. Even with fresh batteries.






The Amtrak depot in Whitefish. A beautiful depot in a Tudor style. Built in 1928 for the Great Northern Railroad.

The Buffalo Cafe in Whitefish. A popular place for breakfast for EB passengers getting off at Whitefish in the early morning. I would say the food was average to good. For evening meals, I liked the Tupelo Grill and the Latitude 48 restaurants.



One of the main streets in Whitefish looking north.



I stayed at the Grouse Mountain Lodge, about 1-2 miles north of Whitefish. A nice lodge but a little on the expensive side, However, considering it was peak summer I didn't think the rates were too extravagant.



There is a really nice golf course just to the back of the Grouse Mtn. Lodge.



A photo of a "red jammer bus". The red jammers are a lot of fun. I took one on my last trip to Whitefish and West Glacier. You can hop one at the Apgar Visitor Center in West Glacier. It runs along the "Going-to-the-Sun road. You can travel up to Logan Pass, which is the highest point in the Continental Divide. The "red jammer" name derives from the red bus tours in the 1930's. The sound of the bus transmissions, upon changing gears, created a "jamming" noise, hence the name.



My favorite shop in Whitefish, "Sweet Peaks" ice cream parlor.

There is a little museum right next to the Amtrak depot in Whitefish. It is sort of a Whitefish/Great Northern museum and very interesting. Whitefish was originally called "Stumptown" because of the many tree stumps around town at one time.



The train from Whitefish back to Portland was 3.5 hours late. I was told that high temperatures (it was in the mid 90's when I was there) required that the Builder slow down to a crawl through Montana, coming from the east.

Richard

 

[jis]

That Metropolitan lounge in Portland Station has certainly undergone some nice looking refurbishment since I was there the last time many moons ago. Looks good.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

That Metropolitan lounge in Portland Station has certainly undergone some nice looking refurbishment since I was there the last time many moons ago. Looks good.

Yes, that's a very handsome lounge.

 

[caravanman]

Nice trip report and photos, I enjoyed reading it. That "red jammer" bus looks very unusual, are they semi-original vehicles, or modern replicas?

 

[Eric in East County]

That "red jammer" bus looks very unusual, are they semi-original vehicles, or modern replicas?

The White Model 706 Tour Bus was developed for sightseeing in western national parks. Between 1936 and 1940, 35 of these buses were purchased for use in Glacier National Park in Montana, where many of them are still in service today. (At one time, the park had a Model 706 which had not been rebuilt or modified and was just as it was when it left the factory.)

 

[Rasputin]

Here is a link to a new book which details the history of the Red buses in Glacier National Park: made by the White Co.:


https://www.amazon.com/Glaciers-Red...1172030&sprefix=glacier's+reds,aps,149&sr=8-1

 

[Eric in East County]

A very nice 1:48 die cast scale replica of a Glacier Park Tour Bus was once available commercially. You still see them occasionally on eBay.

 

[Willbridge]

That Metropolitan lounge in Portland Station has certainly undergone some nice looking refurbishment since I was there the last time many moons ago. Looks good.

The Portland lounge was an employee initiative, which is why it sometimes was omitted from listings. I think they did it without a specific budget. Its original intent was to take care of First Class passengers transferring between long-distance trains.

 

[dlagrua]

Great post on Whitefish Montana. Glacier National park is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. Its among the top three destinations that we have visited. The pictures posted do it well but the best part is hiking inside the park. We could not secure lodging inside the park as reservations were out over one year. It was also Covid time in 2021 so some of the lodges were closed. You can visit from the East Glacier Station or Whitefish. Another excellent place to dine is the Whitefish Lake Golf Club. Agree with the Tupelo Grill as being very good.

 

[Northwestern]

The Portland lounge was an employee initiative, which is why it sometimes was omitted from listings. I think they did it without a specific budget. Its original intent was to take care of First Class passengers transferring between long-distance trains.

I wish they could do the same thing with the Seattle King Street Station. I think a station hub for 2 major Amtrak long distance routes needs one.

Great post on Whitefish Montana. Glacier National park is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. Its among the top three destinations that we have visited. The pictures posted do it well but the best part is hiking inside the park. We could not secure lodging inside the park as reservations were out over one year. It was also Covid time in 2021 so some of the lodges were closed. You can visit from the East Glacier Station or Whitefish. Another excellent place to dine is the Whitefish Lake Golf Club. Agree with the Tupelo Grill as being very good.

I had dinner at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club restaurant. I short hike from the Grouse Mountain Lodge. From the Lodge, I took a path that went to a tunnel underneath Highway 93 and to the Golf Club.

 

[UserNameRequired]

The White Model 706 Tour Bus was developed for sightseeing in western national parks. Between 1936 and 1940, 35 of these buses were purchased for use in Glacier National Park in Montana, where many of them are still in service today. (At one time, the park had a Model 706 which had not been rebuilt or modified and was just as it was when it left the factory.)

I read the busses now have a circa 2000 Ford E Series chassis under them with a circa 2018 6.2L Ford No more flathead 6 with non-synchro manual transmission.

 

[Palmland]

A very nice 1:48 die cast scale replica of a Glacier Park Tour Bus was once available commercially. You still see them occasionally on eBay.

And a couple photos from a trip about 10 years ago.





And we picked this up then, now permanently retired on my bookshelf.

 

[railiner]

No more flathead 6 with non-synchro manual transmission.

That’s probably a good thing. I don’t think there are many bus drivers still around that know how to double clutch.

The last time I drove one, was around the early 2010’s or so, a pooled Greyhound Canada MCI 102DL-3, with a 7-speed…

 

[Harmon Shay]

I wish they could do the same thing with the Seattle King Street Station. I think a station hub for 2 major Amtrak long distance routes needs one.

I've been told that there's now no chance of King Street Station in Seattle ever getting a Metropolitan Lounge. The problem evidently is that, during the station's restoration, which itself was very well done, asbestos removal and a few other things weren't done to the rooms where the lounge or lounges would be and it's millions of dollars worth of work, and the City of Seattle, the station's owner, isn't interested. In fact, Seattle has just dropped the ball on the whole thing. There are no restaurants or newsstands in the station, just a few vending machines, and there are no plans to do anything about anything.

I had dinner at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club restaurant. I short hike from the Grouse Mountain Lodge. From the Lodge, I took a path that went to a tunnel underneath Highway 93 and to the Golf Club.

 

[flitcraft]

I've been told that there's now no chance of King Street Station in Seattle ever getting a Metropolitan Lounge. The problem evidently is that, during the station's restoration, which itself was very well done, asbestos removal and a few other things weren't done to the rooms where the lounge or lounges would be and it's millions of dollars worth of work, and the City of Seattle, the station's owner, isn't interested. In fact, Seattle has just dropped the ball on the whole thing. There are no restaurants or newsstands in the station, just a few vending machines, and there are no plans to do anything about anything.

The problem is that there's no money to do the major work that would be required to add desirable amenities like a Metropolitan Lounge or even food or coffee stands. The City is looking at a pretty serious deficit, and I doubt that making life more pleasant for Amtrak customers would be high on the priority list even if they had the money. Amtrak could offer to pay for the work, of course, but again, getting more equipment up and running and hiring to staff the system adequately are likely higher priorities than a lounge or a subsidized food stand in Seattle would be. I think the City is hoping for some tenants on the second floor that will pay more than Amtrak would for the space that is currently available. As much as I wish that weren't the case, I'm resigned to using Zeitgeist Coffee for my caffeine fix and take-away from Dough Zone for dumplings or 13 Coins when I want to pamper myself for pre-train food.

 

[Harmon Shay]

The problem is that there's no money to do the major work that would be required to add desirable amenities like a Metropolitan Lounge or even food or coffee stands. The City is looking at a pretty serious deficit, and I doubt that making life more pleasant for Amtrak customers would be high on the priority list even if they had the money. Amtrak could offer to pay for the work, of course, but again, getting more equipment up and running and hiring to staff the system adequately are likely higher priorities than a lounge or a subsidized food stand in Seattle would be. I think the City is hoping for some tenants on the second floor that will pay more than Amtrak would for the space that is currently available. As much as I wish that weren't the case, I'm resigned to using Zeitgeist Coffee for my caffeine fix and take-away from Dough Zone for dumplings or 13 Coins when I want to pamper myself for pre-train food.

All good points. We were fortunate that when it had to move, the well-known 13 Coins moved in right next to King Street Station, far distant from where it used to be.

 

[zephyr17]

All good points. We were fortunate that when it had to move, the well-known 13 Coins moved in right next to King Street Station, far distant from where it used to be.

Yeah, 13 Coins takes a lot of the sting out of not having a lounge.