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Autumn

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Greetings! My family and I (2 adults, 12yo, 5yo) will be traveling on the Empire Builder from Montana to St. Paul, MN over the holidays. We are seasoned road/air/sea travelers, but we have never taken a passenger train before! I have a few questions that I have not been able to find the answer to after hours of online research! Hopefully your expertise can help us have a successful trip!

1. We are boarding from a rural station (5 hours from our home...yes, Montana is that big) that looks to be the same size as my garage. How does the boarding process work? I see there is a small platform, but how do we know which car to board? We have coach reservations for the lower level. Will there be someone who checks our tickets at the station? Is there a way to ask a steward for help regarding available seats? We would really like to sit four together, but we could split two and two if we had to. The EB has carryon only, so we will be hauling luggage with us and would prefer to simply board the car we want rather than haul our party halfway down the train looking for available seats. (I understand the train is pretty full, holidays and everything.) Is that information available at boarding?

2. My brother has traveled this route, and suggested we take all of our "stuff" with us when we go to the dining car. (As you can tell, he doesn't have kids. :) ) If we pack the iPods and such with us, is someone really going to disturb/steal the snowflake blankie and a partially finished Lego car? We don't really have to take everything, do we?

3. I read somewhere about "Quiet Cars"...how do we avoid those? :p

Thank you so much for any help you could offer! If you can think of any other tips for a first-time family, we are very open to suggestions!
 
First let me say this is an informed guess. Likely the conductor will be expecting you and will stop the car you will be boarding on the platform. He will probably step off and check your tickets then send you to the proper door where you will be greeted by a car attendant. The car attendant will help you board and answer questions/help resolve any issues. Probably there will already be four seats together waiting for you. The lower level is not connected to the other cars without going up stairs so it's important you point out that part of your ticket. There are not many seats on the lower level of coach so no matter where you sit you will be close to each other. Your bags will be stored on the lower level very nearby. Because of the location, there is NO pass thru traffic, so opportunistic theft from your seat is unlikely. One other thing. The lower level is not reserved for handicapped passengers but if someone boards that can not climb the stairs there is a small chance they might ask you to move, not likely but keep that in mind.
 
Not sure if your third question was in jest or not, but just for the record, there are no cars designated as "quiet cars"

on any long-distance Amtrak train. The usual courtesies to your fellow travelers apply, especially during overnight

hours.

Otherwise, I think Wanderin' Bill has given you some good info.
 
I've boarded at a fair number of stations (many unmanned) along the Builder's line, so hopefully this will help.

Autumn said:
1. We are boarding from a rural station (5 hours from our home...yes, Montana is that big) that looks to be the same size as my garage. How does the boarding process work? I see there is a small platform, but how do we know which car to board? We have coach reservations for the lower level. Will there be someone who checks our tickets at the station? Is there a way to ask a steward for help regarding available seats? We would really like to sit four together, but we could split two and two if we had to. The EB has carryon only, so we will be hauling luggage with us and would prefer to simply board the car we want rather than haul our party halfway down the train looking for available seats. (I understand the train is pretty full, holidays and everything.) Is that information available at boarding?
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Just stand on the platform as a group. The conductor will watch and "spot" the car, hopefully to be near you. Otherwise, as long as they see you along the platform and when it stops you start walking to the open door, they'll wait. (The conductor or coach attendant will open the door for you.)

Your tickets will be checked on board, and once checked they will direct you to your seats. I would remind the conductor or coach attendant that you have lower level seats when you board so they can direct you appropriately. You'll likely sit in the car they board you in. If not, since it's a short stop, they'll likely have you walk down through the train to the car that you'll be sitting in (as they will want to get moving ASAP.) However, I've always boarded in the train they'll seat me in.

The lower level is also fairly small, so even if you're split up it won't be very split up.

Autumn said:
2. My brother has traveled this route, and suggested we take all of our "stuff" with us when we go to the dining car. (As you can tell, he doesn't have kids. :) ) If we pack the iPods and such with us, is someone really going to disturb/steal the snowflake blankie and a partially finished Lego car? We don't really have to take everything, do we?
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I doubt anyone will take anything. Many people leave their luggage in the downstairs rack while sitting in the upper level, so you should be fine if you just take valuables with you. (Honestly, I just store my valuables in my backpack and leave it up top, carrying only my wallet and phone with me.)

Autumn said:
3. I read somewhere about "Quiet Cars"...how do we avoid those? :p
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No quiet cars on the Builder. However, if the kids are being particularly loud, I'd suggest going to the lounge car, especially at night. From 10 PM to 7 AM the coach has "quiet hours," and any extended conversations during that time should be done in the lounge car.
 
Good information, thank you! We are used to a more structured boarding process...hopefully my worry will be for nothing.

I was only partially kidding about #3. I read somewhere about quiet cars, and even though I have particularly "well-traveled" kids (they have probably flown more than most adults I know) we still get eye rolls and long-suffering sighs from our seat neighbors when we board a plane... simply because they are kids. :) A five-year-old's "whisper" is never as quiet as it should be, but for the most part, they are considerate little travelers.
 
Don't worry too much! I am sure you and your kids will enjoy a very relaxing trip. I've taken several cross-country trips, on almost all of the long-distance routes, and I always have a good time. I usually board at an "unstaffed" station in the middle of nowhere in eastern Oregon.

  1. You should check online or on the phone (amtrak.com or 1-800-usa-rail) to see what kind of progress your train is making, and when it is expected at the station. For status-at-a-glance, see http://dixielandsoftware.net/Amtrak/status/StatusMaps/. The Empire Builder will most likely be late, but there is some padding in the schedule at Shelby, so the closer you are to Shelby the more likely it will be on-time.
  2. Dress to stay warm on that platform! If others are waiting as well, you'll see everyone sitting in their cars, and usually someone will get out and stand on the platform when they think the train is near.
  3. When the train pulls in, one or more of the cars will have open windows on the entry door, with the car attendant or conductor hanging out the window and callling for their passengers. If there's just you getting on, they will "spot" your car for you and call your name. If it's a short platform, they may spot twice (once for sleepers,and once for coach).
  4. As you get on, there will be a luggage storage rack just inside the entry door. There's also an overhead rack above your seat. I've never had any luggage bothered while on the train. It's not like someone can take something and quickly disappear with it, you're all together until at least the next scheduled stop, ha, ha! I take my phone and wallet to the diner, but not my laptop (just close it and put it into the seat pocket in front of me, so passing children won't randomly hit keys). Your fellow passengers are also your eyes and ears. Most passengers in the lower level are seniors and/or disabled. They are also sociable and concerned for your well-being.
  5. That said, if your kids need a "rowdy" break, they might want to get a little exercise on the platform when a longer station stop is announced (running is not allowed close to the train, but it's OK to move fast if you head to the far side of the platform). In between stops, there are tables to play games on, and bench seats to watch the view from, in the lounge car. It's OK to take your own food and beverage on the train, and into the upper level of the lounge car, but if the lounge car is very crowded they may ask that passengers leave the tables for cafe customers (at least in the daytime). One of the very nicest things about the train is the ability to move around and not be confined to your seat!
FYI, the quiet cars I've seen are on the regional trains: NE Corridor, Lincoln Service, Acela. They are there so business travelers can work without being interrupted. But on the Empire Builder the only quiet time is at night from 11pm to 7am. There will be no loudspeaker announcements during that time, and the lights will be dimmed so everyone can sleep.

One other thing: You can check the lower level of all the coach cars to see what is there. In the past (not sure if this is still being done?), there have been cars that did not have the usual seating in the lower level. I've seen lower-level compartments set up for kids' play. I've even seen a car that had nothing but carpet in that compartment, a great place for children to be noisy and rowdy! Even if you don't find anything in your explorations, it will be interesting to take a "tour" of all the public spaces in the train, and it will occupy the kids for a while. The only place they won't let you go with a coach ticket is the sleeper cars (past the diner, where they will query you if you look like you are lost).

Enjoy yourself, and let us know how it went!
 
Looks like of the people has covered everything. I've never been worried about valuable items. I've either put in the backpack or cover it up in the overhead bin. Hope you all are able to sleep in coach. (kinda like a lazy boy)..

Maybe look into the family bedroom? (All meals are part of the bedroom) Othewise, you'll have to pay for all the meals for coach. You are allowed to brings snacks and small cooler.

Load up games or movies on the iPad or laptop for the kids. Bring some card/board game for the kids to play in the lounge car upstairs or downstairs.
 
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Can't say, unfortunately, that I fully agree about the valuables. When my kids were young, my daughter invited one of her school friends to travel with us on a long-distance Amtrak train. The school friend had $200 lifted from her suitcase that was parked in the lower baggage rack of our Superliner coach. Had I been told at the start of the trip that money was being carried inside her luggage, I would have insisted that it be kept on one's person. A hard lesson learned the hard way.
 
an Appalachia luggage trick

once you get all packed, use a cable tie to close luggage

it discourages the rare explorer

I have never had any trouble with luggage,

I might bring an Ipad with me to meals,,

but other than that I will bet 20x1 you have no issues
 
About "fresh air" or smoke breaks: Yes, it is nice to step off the train and stretch your legs for a bit. But do not go any farther from the train than it would take for you to reboard in twenty seconds or less. When the Conductor calls, "All Aboard," he means NOW. You do not want to be off in the station grabbing a soda. Now, if the train is on time or early it will not leave before the published departure time, so you might be able to check those station vending machines. But if the train is late (and the Empire Builder in recent months has been chronically late), the train crew will endeavor to cut down the station time as much as is possible. Don't leave that platform!
 
Hi Autumn, I'll be on the EB leaving Pasco, WA for Chicago on Dec. 27 [i'm in the Portland sleeper at the very end of the train!] Not sure that's the same timing for your trip? Anyway, regarding your question about valuables, I'd err on the cautious side - especially in coach which doesn't have any visual barriers [curtains, doors etc] to items like a sleeper does. Still - I won't leave anything of value in my room when I go for meals. I carry a fairly large messenger bag/purse and my mini iPad, cell phone, pills, folder for tickets all fit nicely over the shoulder. On the other hand.....not sure who said it above, but the folks on a train are great people [in general] and people tend to look out for one another - especially the longer the time you spend with them on the journey! Have a great trip!!
 
ehbowen said:
About "fresh air" or smoke breaks: Yes, it is nice to step off the train and stretch your legs for a bit. But do not go any farther from the train than it would take for you to reboard in twenty seconds or less. When the Conductor calls, "All Aboard," he means NOW. You do not want to be off in the station grabbing a soda. Now, if the train is on time or early it will not leave before the published departure time, so you might be able to check those station vending machines. But if the train is late (and the Empire Builder in recent months has been chronically late), the train crew will endeavor to cut down the station time as much as is possible. Don't leave that platform!
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Even at a Smoke/Fresh Air stop it does not hurt to check with the Conductor to make sure you will not be leaving early if you decide to wander inside the station; good Conductors will get on the Intercom and announce how long the train will be at the station.
 
For most LD trains, you would go towards the front since the two or three coaches would be just behind the baggage and transition (dorm) sleeper. But with the EB having sections to and from Seattle and Portland, there will also be two coaches towards the rear, just in front of the Portland sleeper.

Your tickets should say train #8 or #28. 8 means you are booked in one of the front coaches, and 28 the rear. But EB veterans will have to tell you whether this is a hard and fast rule. You probably booked 8 or 28 based on the price at the time. But theoretically, the conductor could put you in any of the coaches since your train won't be splitting between Montana and St. Paul.

Presumably, there is a single track at your departure station so you won't have to speculate whether the train will be coming in on the right or left hand track.
 
PaulM said:
Presumably, there is a single track at your departure station so you won't have to speculate whether the train will be coming in on the right or left hand track.
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Even if there are two tracks, at the small stations there will be only one platform!

If there is another track (at all), it will be for "through" trains only.

:p
 
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OlympianHiawatha said:
ehbowen said:
About "fresh air" or smoke breaks: Yes, it is nice to step off the train and stretch your legs for a bit. But do not go any farther from the train than it would take for you to reboard in twenty seconds or less. When the Conductor calls, "All Aboard," he means NOW. You do not want to be off in the station grabbing a soda. Now, if the train is on time or early it will not leave before the published departure time, so you might be able to check those station vending machines. But if the train is late (and the Empire Builder in recent months has been chronically late), the train crew will endeavor to cut down the station time as much as is possible. Don't leave that platform!
Click to expand...
Even at a Smoke/Fresh Air stop it does not hurt to check with the Conductor to make sure you will not be leaving early if you decide to wander inside the station; good Conductors will get on the Intercom and announce how long the train will be at the station.
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I'm glad you guys mentioned about not straying from the train, I was going to say something about that. People do get left behind, the train will not wait. You don't want your children out there getting some exercise and not paying close attention.
 
Thank you all very much, this was all useful information! Again, we are frequent travelers so we generally do not carry a lot of cash or valuables. Anything irreplaceable will stay with us. I will double check our tickets...I'm pretty sure we are booked on #8. On that note, one more question: the print-out of our e-ticket (PDF) is all we need to board, correct? Thanks again for all your help!
 
Yes. The print out works great. Conductors can also look your family up on their scanner. When your scanned all travelers on the reservation will show on the scanner and will be checked in at that point.
 
On the Empire Builder it doesn't matter whether your ticket says 8 or 28. Your destination is the key, especially if your destination is a night-time one. Since you're going to St. Paul, a popular destination where all the doors are opened, it's hard to say where they'll put you, especially since you're in a larger group. On my last trip on the Empire Builder (last Monday, 12/15) the coaches were carefully marked off into areas for singletons (forward) and areas for groups of 2 or more (back of the stairs).
 
To follow up:

Our trip went very well! I wanted to offer a few of our observations in case other first-time families are reading this post. Boarding at an unmanned station was a little stressful if you don't know what to do. Amtrak could REALLY invest in a few signs (or any signs, really) that might answer a few questions first-timers might have, such as where to wait, where to park long-term, etc. (I'm looking at you, Glasgow!) Luckily there were 3 other families boarding the same train, so we didn't feel so isolated, but they were also first-timers so they were following us as much as we were following them! :) The train conductors told us exactly where to go once the train pulled up, so that was nice.

We had lower-level reservations, which worked out perfectly for us! We were able to stow our larger bags right in the room with us, and there were fewer people walking by. But, upper-level passengers also stow their luggage in there as well, so everytime someone is looking for a place to stow bags or collect bags (in the middle of the night) there is a lot of commotion. My kids slept right through all of it, but if you have light sleepers, it's something to think about.

One thing I really wanted to mention is that our ticket was not scanned. Our car attendent told me to keep it (the printout of our reservation) out so the conductor could scan it when he came by, but he never did come by. I didn't think anything of it until we got on the train to come home and they didn't have our reservation! :excl: I used to work for an airline, so I know that airlines will cancel your entire reservation if you do not show up for your first flight. I am thinking the same is true for train reservations. Luckily, I did have the printout, and the train was not booked full so it was not a problem. BUT when you are traveling, please make sure a conductor scans your ticket!! It could have been much worse for us under different circumstances.

One other note about the lower level--on our return we were in a car reserved for those with disabilities. (Possibly because of our reservation snafu.) This area did not have overhead luggage racks! Again, luckily we had plenty of room for backpacks and such in the front of the room, but it's something to mention.

All in all it was a wonderful trip! I highly recommend train travel! :D
 
If you are AGR you may have to fight to get your first Segemnt Points since that Ticket was not scanned; so be sure to keep it handy as you may need to refer to it in a few weeks when you challenge for the Points.
 
I always book 2 one way tickets instead of 1 round trip ticket to avoid a cancelled return trip if the outgoing ticket is not scanned.
 
I had a similar problem, _Autumn_, with my recent trip. After leaving Chicago on #27, the conductor didn't come through and scan my ticket. Having read here for a pretty long time, I knew the importance of getting this thing scanned eventually since my return trip was a r/t ticket. I told the SCA that my ticket wasn't scanned after about 5 hours on board and he wrote down that he needed to get with the conductor and ensure it got lifted. I checked my AGR acct. within a couple of days and saw that it indeed was lifted. No problem with the return, due to making sure. You should make note of this for next trip! Either find a conductor, or a SCA who can make sure the request for a lift is made. Unfortunately, not all pax realize the importance of having their ticket scanned - simply because they aren't told in advance, or perhaps don't belong to this forum for answers. Conductors should be much more vigilant about making sure ALL pax are scanned. I don't quite get why some are scanned, some aren't.. in a sleeper car where my door is open and curtain too.
 
Thanks for your posting concerns and followup.

A lot of us old-timer EB riders don't get it that boarding at one of the many unstaffed stations "out there" in ND, MT, eastern WA and western MN can be worrisome. More help for first-timers would be good for Amtrak and us old-timers to promote.

Glad your trip was good.

Autumn said:
To follow up:

Our trip went very well! I wanted to offer a few of our observations in case other first-time families are reading this post. Boarding at an unmanned station was a little stressful if you don't know what to do. Amtrak could REALLY invest in a few signs (or any signs, really) that might answer a few questions first-timers might have, such as where to wait, where to park long-term, etc. (I'm looking at you, Glasgow!) Luckily there were 3 other families boarding the same train, so we didn't feel so isolated, but they were also first-timers so they were following us as much as we were following them! :) The train conductors told us exactly where to go once the train pulled up, so that was nice.

We had lower-level reservations, which worked out perfectly for us! We were able to stow our larger bags right in the room with us, and there were fewer people walking by. But, upper-level passengers also stow their luggage in there as well, so everytime someone is looking for a place to stow bags or collect bags (in the middle of the night) there is a lot of commotion. My kids slept right through all of it, but if you have light sleepers, it's something to think about.

One thing I really wanted to mention is that our ticket was not scanned. Our car attendent told me to keep it (the printout of our reservation) out so the conductor could scan it when he came by, but he never did come by. I didn't think anything of it until we got on the train to come home and they didn't have our reservation! :excl: I used to work for an airline, so I know that airlines will cancel your entire reservation if you do not show up for your first flight. I am thinking the same is true for train reservations. Luckily, I did have the printout, and the train was not booked full so it was not a problem. BUT when you are traveling, please make sure a conductor scans your ticket!! It could have been much worse for us under different circumstances.

One other note about the lower level--on our return we were in a car reserved for those with disabilities. (Possibly because of our reservation snafu.) This area did not have overhead luggage racks! Again, luckily we had plenty of room for backpacks and such in the front of the room, but it's something to mention.

All in all it was a wonderful trip! I highly recommend train travel! :D
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"I told the SCA that my ticket wasn't scanned after about 5 hours on board and he wrote down that he needed to get with the conductor and ensure it got lifted."

Either you got lucky or I've misunderstood process. Because I've always been told that after a certain amount of time - reservation is considered a no-show and future portion gets cancelled. Had first hand experience with this ( luckily on one way ticket ). Chicago to Springfield IL - ticket never got lifted - got head conductor to scan e-ticket before de-boarding in Springfield. Never got rewards credit even after a call. Trip was consider cancelled - do to not being scanned within a certain time.

This has been a serious problem ever since Amtrak changed their procedures / policy. Passengers shouldn't have to figure out how to get around this. Conductors are not being held accountable for not lifting tickets. Amtrak is NOT listening to customer feedback - realizing current policy causes more problems than it may have been designed to solve.

Not to mention issues that can be caused in regards to revenue. Passengers will get credit for "canceled" reservation = get to use that for future travel. So policy basically allows riders to get a 2 for 1 with no Rewards points given - when conductors don't lift tickets.
 
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iggy said:
This has been a serious problem ever since Amtrak changed their procedures / policy. Passengers shouldn't have to figure out how to get around this. Conductors are not being held accountable for not lifting tickets. Amtrak is NOT listening to customer feedback - realizing current policy causes more problems than it may have been designed to solve.

Not to mention issues that can be caused in regards to revenue. Passengers will get credit for "canceled" reservation = get to use that for future travel. So policy basically allows riders to get a 2 for 1 with no Rewards points given - when conductors don't lift tickets.
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I suspect there's fewer complaints than you might think since many customers wouldn't care that much about the missing AGR points and care more about the "free" ride they're getting.

That said, it can be frustrating.
 
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