Question about Empire Builder

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peric1

Joined
Nov 9, 2018
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I have a roomette booked from Seattle to Chicago. It says Car 830 room 5. Will my window be facing north or south? Amtrak could not tell me. Thank you

MODERATOR NOTE:  This thread was moved from the Guest Forum to the Amtrak Forum.  OP is a new member and it is possible that she/he was posting at the time the membership was approved. (Welcome!)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome to the forum, peric1!

Nobody can tell which way the car will face before train day.  The 0830 sleeper is a type that can run in either direction, and Amtrak yard crews make no effort to orient it a certain way. 
 
Agree with Maglev, you can spend time in the observation car and see all directions. 
 
As Maglev said, the Superliner cars used on the Empire Builder can be pointed either way, so there is no way to know in advance how it will be oriented. Worst comes to worst you can (and probably would anyway) just take in the views from the Sightseer Lounge. Have a great trip!
 
mlant552 said:
Agree with Maglev, you can spend time in the observation car and see all directions. 
Click to expand...
It should be noted that the sightseer lounge car gets split off with the Portland section (the last 3-4 cars of the train) at Spokane shortly after 1AM.  So the morning trip through the Cascades will have to be viewed from the diner or your roomette. 
 
Another way to be able see out both sides of a Superliner train is go downstairs in the center where the entry doors are located.  While there's no seat, there's usually nobody else in that area and you can go from side to side unimpeded.

It's also a good location for taking pictures because you can clean the inside of the large windows in the doors anytime and clean their outsides when and if a door is opened at a station stop.  When the outsides of the windows on the upper level get dirty they'll stay that way for the whole trip. 
 
My theory is, if you spend all your time looking for a certain thing you will miss out on something you never expected to see.  But looking at a dense Forrest while the opposite side is viewing a babbling brook is the downside. Hopefully between the observation car along with the other vantage points and whatever side you are in you thoroughly enjoy your trip.
 
bratkinson said:
It should be noted that the sightseer lounge car gets split off with the Portland section (the last 3-4 cars of the train) at Spokane shortly after 1AM.  So the morning trip through the Cascades will have to be viewed from the diner or your roomette. 
Click to expand...
Train 8 is the eastbound. The Sightseer Lounge will join the train in Spokane. The evening trip along Puget Sound will be without the SSL.
 
I have traveled on both sides in a bedroom east and west and I dont think one side is better than the other. As stated the lounge car gives you all the views. Sometimes its great and other times its a bit of a zoo in there from my perspective.
 
IF, and ONLY if, the Sleepers are oriented correctly, the even numbered Roomettes will be facing north and the odd numbers facing south.

The north side is best as you pass Glacier National Park, and east of MSP as you pass Lake Pepin and follow the Mississippi River to look for bald eagles.

Otherwise, both sides are lovely.
 

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