Search results

I'm leaving for my Empire Builder trip this week and have several Rails and Trails related questions. How do we know when the program will be held? Is it announced in advance? Is it announced on the train? Where are these generally held on the train? Do a lot of riders take advantage of...

I'm interested in knowing what happens in these two cars. Specifically, what happens in lounge/sightsee-er car after the sun goes down? Do people just gather? Do they leave interior lights on? OR, do they turn lights off? If I went to sightsee-er car at say, 3 a.m., what would I find? Same...

I need some help in knowing the appropriate time to provide gratuity/tip the train attendent. In hotels, I always leave something the morning after the evening. In many hotels, you don't see the housekeeping staff in the evenings, so mornings are the appropriate time to provide the gratuity...

Hello there everyone! It's been a while since I've posted, and I see lots of new posts from people who are taking first train trips. I also see that you all are helping them out with all their questions. This has been a great group to help me prepare. My trip on Empire Builder is week after...

I love to take photos of old railroad stations. I'll be taking my first train trip in August and am curious about what sort of stations I should expect to see. Will there be a building of some sort at each stop? OR, are some stops just in the middle of nowhere? Please excuse my ignorance...

Is this at all possible OR just absolutely crazy to even think about? I know that this is serious business, but on occasion, pilots have let me come into the cockpit....does the same happen in train travel? Who should I ask?

I've heard from several sources that tour groups are given the first opportunity to make dinner reservations. Is there any way that I can use the Amtrak reservation system to figure out if there's a tour group on board? Not that I'll be able to get specifics, but should I see certain sections...

Someone advised me to take a blanket with me on my train trip. They pointed out that, on occasion, it's pretty cold in sleeping cars and that you only get one very thin blanket. Do you recommend this OR does Amtrak furnish an extra blanket - if I ask? I really, really don't want to carry a...

I often like to have coffee and a little snack mid-morning. And, occasionally, mid-afternoon! What sort of sweet type pastries are sold in the lounge car? Doughnuts? Muffins? Any others? And, are they any good? Who makes them?

We are taking the EB, scheduled to leave Seattle at 4:45 p.m. What's the procedure for taking dining car reservations and when is the first seating for dinner? Also, can you request specific tables in dining car? If we get one of early reservations, I'd like to sit on side on train with Puget...

I'm attempting to plot route of Empire Builder on a map, to take along with me on our upcoming trip. People here have directed me to a few good sites showing pretty good details of tracks. However, I need some help filling in the gaps. I have one question now, and may have more as I continue...

I continue to prepare for my first train trip, taking the Empire Builder in August. I'm using this board and lots of other materials (travelogues, etc), to get a sense of what train travel and this train trip might be like. I've read that the EB is the "flagship" for Amtrak, and that efforts...

I'm continuing to plan every little detail of my very first train trip, taking the Empire Builder from Seattle in Chicago in late August. Please remember this is my first train trip, so I am jumping with excitement! Here's the dilemma: train leaves Seattle at 4:45 p.m., with stops at Edmonds...

I've looked at lots of photos of superliner bedrooms, viewed the new Amtrak vitual tour, and the older descriptions of the bedroom. I still can't quite figure something out about the bedroom. The lower berth is listed as being approximately 6 ft in length. Does the lower berth stay in place...

We will be taking the Empire Builder in late August. As the train travels across country, how will we know where we are? I know that you can use a GPS to do this, but I don't have one. Of course, I'll know when we arrive at a station that we will be in ......(wherever). But, what if I've...

AlanB - I've been following your posts and eagerly waiting for your responses to my posts, here at this board and at the FlyerTalk board. You've been so helpful. You are clearly THE expert in Amtrak travel. Are you an Amtrak employee? Where did you learn so much about Amtrak? You don't know...

We will be taking the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago. This is our first train trip! I'm curious about the boarding process. Train leaves at 4:45 p.m. Is that the final boarding time or the actual departure time? We need to print tickets at the station with the quik-ticket machine...

I've been looking at lots of photos (many of them yours!) of trains, in eager anticipation of my upcoming Empire Builder trip. I really, really like the look of what appears to be the refurbished superliner cars...mainly that the brown is gone, and blue is in. Is there a way to tell if I'm on...

This is an area where I've read conflicting information. Can I use an electric hairdryer on a train? Some references say no. Others say yes. Husband told me to just hang my head out the train, but isn't that dangerous?

I love to see places I'm going, using Google maps, especially the satellite views that show the real things on the ground. Is there a way to follow the route of a train using a mapping program? I know that there's an Amtrak schedule that will show me the stops, but I'd like to see the exact...