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Ohiorusty

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Feb 1, 2012
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I'm sorry if this shows up twice, I believe I lost the first post.

Going from Chicago to Seattle and first tiime train traveler.....how is the scenery on this trip? Also my husband is 72 and if we get a bedroom on the upper are the steps not too steep? I think I saw no wifi or tv? Is this correct. Seems a long 48 hrs., do they have movies or things to do? Thanks.
 
Hi - Are you taking the Empire Builder? I have not yet taken this route so I can't comment on the scenery. the stairs are fairly steep, but keep in mind that when you are traveling to/from other cars on the train you won't be coming up or down the stairs, so as long as you can go up them once at the start of the trip and down them once at the end you should be OK.

There are no tvs or wifi on the train, but you can keep busy by bringing along your own portable dvd player or laptop and watching a movie. If you have a smartphone you will have internet access along the route from your phone's data plan. And, keep in mind that there is plenty to do on the train! you will have three meals a day and get to watch america roll by outside the window. There is also a wine tasting for sleeper passengers on the empire builder.
 
In winter, the westbound Empire Builder spends most of the time crossing the Great Plain in daylight. You will see vast, endless land covered with snow. Some people find it dull but I enjoy the scene very much. A couple of hours before the sunset in the 2nd day, the train makes a smoking stop at Havre, MT, where a huge 4-8-4 steam engine is on display. Right after sunset, the train enters the Glacier National Park but unfortunately it's all dark. In the early morning of 3rd day, there are a lot to see as the train passes the Cascades Range. After the stop in Everett, WA, the train runs on the bank of Puget Sound. This is a highlight that you can't miss it.

The sleeper is fine. Free light refreshments are provided besides the stairway. But be ware of the bad track condition in North Dakota (between Fargo and Rugby). I didn't sleep well while on the train.

Have a nice trip!
 
No wi-fi on the EB?! Ah man... plan B.

ETA: Would a wi-fi hot spot like A Virgin Mobile one work?
 
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NomDePlume said:
No wi-fi on the EB?! Ah man... plan B.

ETA: Would a wi-fi hot spot like A Virgin Mobile one work?
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Sure, where there is cell coverage. But I bet it goes out at some places along the route. I had places along the SWC, particularly through New Mexico, where I would lose coverage on my verizon mifi. Those 3G/4G mobile hotspots are only as good as the cellular network that you are on. I am not sure if Virgin Mobile would have coverage through parts of Montana and North Dakota. That is kind of in the middle of nowhere.
 
I have Virgin Mobile cell modem. Doesn't work [no coverage] though vast parts of Montana and N.D., as of April 2011 EB travel.
 
Golden grrl said:
I have Virgin Mobile cell modem. Doesn't work [no coverage] though vast parts of Montana and N.D., as of April 2011 EB travel.
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Thanks! Hopefully we'll be sleeping that part of the journey. I want to say it runs off the Sprint network.
 
NomDePlume said:
Golden grrl said:
I have Virgin Mobile cell modem. Doesn't work [no coverage] though vast parts of Montana and N.D., as of April 2011 EB travel.
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Thanks! Hopefully we'll be sleeping that part of the journey. I want to say it runs off the Sprint network.
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You will spend the entire 2nd day crossing Montana and North Dakota, and simple cell phone coverage is VERY sparse for Sprint (my carrier, too), and 3G is probably even sparser. Don't even think about 4G. You will have coverage at Havre and at Shelby I know. Nothing between the towns, or in the little towns.

Bring a book. If you have an iPod or a laptop to watch DVDs on, bring that too.
 
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Out here, Verizon is by far the dominant cell carrier, and they have the best coverage. Even with Verizon, though, there are spots on the Empire Builder route where you'll lose data service for a couple of hours at a time ... particularly in northeastern Montana. And if you don't have Verizon service, the wireless data situation can be hopeless for hours on end.
 
amamba said:
I am not sure if Virgin Mobile would have coverage through parts of Montana and North Dakota. That is kind of in the middle of nowhere.
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As a Nor' Dakotan, I resemble that remark. I can point to parts of Wyoming that are more the middle of nowhere. Ever been to Lusk?
 
Ispolkom said:
amamba said:
I am not sure if Virgin Mobile would have coverage through parts of Montana and North Dakota. That is kind of in the middle of nowhere.
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As a Nor' Dakotan, I resemble that remark. I can point to parts of Wyoming that are more the middle of nowhere. Ever been to Lusk?
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Nope I haven't been to Lusk, WY. I have never been to North Dakota, either, although I am excited for my EB trip this summer to roll through it. The only places I have been to that are remotely in that area are the parts of WY in Yellowstone and surrounds - like over to Bighorn forest and down to Jackson and Montana in Yellowstone, out to Bozeman, and up to Glacier. That is it! There is a lot of country left for me to explore :)
 
We packed our Kindle, iPod, and few other magazine, and honestly, I only read one magazine on our trip. I was too busy having my face glued to the window just having my "down time" from the world of electronics and just enjoying the country as it rolled by thinking of how simple life was.

I did have my iPhone, and did check e-mail and FB every now and then, and had coverage at times.

Are you taking a round trip? If so, you'll see Glacier Park on your return trip!
 
I can stick my nose in a good book and be fine. Entertaining an ADHD child is a whole different animal, however. She will either require a whole lot of things to do at once (i.e. computer) or a padded room. Hopefully I can land the seats with the outlets and she can plug in my iPod and watch her Jurassic Fight Club episodes.
 
I always bring a good book or two on my Amtrak trips -- and then never get around to reading them. There's too much to see out the window ... which, after all, is the main point of riding a train in the first place. :)
 
Montanan said:
I always bring a good book or two on my Amtrak trips -- and then never get around to reading them. There's too much to see out the window ... which, after all, is the main point of riding a train in the first place. :)
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This has been my experience as well. Now my wife, who is a more avid reader than I, will devour a book during the trip. But she also prefers to stay in our bedroom compartment while I tend to wander and spend much more time in the SSL...
 
Montanan said:
I always bring a good book or two on my Amtrak trips -- and then never get around to reading them. There's too much to see out the window ... which, after all, is the main point of riding a train in the first place. :)
Click to expand...

Same here. On my next trip, this one from Ft. Lauderdale to Spokane, the only book I plan on having with me while on the various trains is John Bradt's USA by Rail. Since I'm flying from Spokane to Ft. Lauderdale, I will take another book with me on the plane, but will put that into my suitcase and keep it there for the duration of the train portion of the trip.
 
Another Montanan chiming in, and yes, we have no 4g, and very little 3g outside of the towns. And I hope you will post after your trip to let us know how the youngster liked the trip. My nieces and nephews all love to travel on Amtrak, the continuous changes of scenery just had us all pointing at deer and antelope and rusty jalopies and rivers and windmills...

But the kids do have a ton of movies on tap and the sight seeing car has plenty of plug ins for DVD players as a backup. The stairs are a bit steep but you will only have to climb once and go down once so hopefully that won't be an irritant. I am not sure if the Empire Builder will have the upper snack bar open near the stairs in the sight seeing car, it is usually down the stairs on the lower level.

I hope you have a great trip!
 
JayPea said:
Montanan said:
I always bring a good book or two on my Amtrak trips -- and then never get around to reading them. There's too much to see out the window ... which, after all, is the main point of riding a train in the first place. :)
Click to expand...

On my next trip, this one from Ft. Lauderdale to Spokane, the only book I plan on having with me while on the various trains is John Bradt's USA by Rail....
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Yep, that book ALWAYS goes with us on the train. It's EXCELLENT.
 
Thanks for all the info. We were hoping for more senic travel. We would be going west from Chicago so it doesn't sound like a very nice trip until the last day. Maybe we will ck in to going down the west coast from Seattle instead.
 
Ohiorusty said:
1328741300[/url]' post='345822']Thanks for all the info. We were hoping for more senic travel. We would be going west from Chicago so it doesn't sound like a very nice trip until the last day. Maybe we will ck in to going down the west coast from Seattle instead.
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Not true at all... The prairies are wide open spaces...homes, small towns, history of the United States through your eyes.. An experience you will never forget... The train is like looking back in time!!!! Enjoy every minute.. I just took this trip and want to do it again.
 
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