EB Mess - 2

[JayPea]

Wow! . The #7 that I and my uncle catch out of East Glacier tonight is ON TIME out of Stanley!!!

 

[yarrow]

Wow! . The #7 that I and my uncle catch out of East Glacier tonight is ON TIME out of Stanley!!!

you lead a charmed life, JayPea. i'm going to be on 7 out of west glacier in a couple weeks and don't look forward to waiting around the platform waiting for a 5,6,7 or 8 hour late eb

 

[montana mike]

Please everyone take note #8 and #7 in MT will almost surely pass each other in Eastern MT shortly ON TIME today for the first time that I can remember in perhaps 6-9 months, maybe longer!!! Given the track record of #7 lately this is is a pleasant turn of events. I guess the weekend schedule helps somewhat, along with lessening of the flood threat in MN and WI--whoopee!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Amazing! Guess its true because Jeff is in Glacier waiting on #7! Those Northwesterners seem to have luck with the Builder!

 

[William W.]

I feel like Amtrak should pass out free booze and have a party every time the EB is on-time coming out of ND. It seems like a special occasion to me these days.

 

[montana mike]

Perhaps T-shirts saying "I survived North Dakota!!!!"

 

[JayPea]

Wow! . The #7 that I and my uncle catch out of East Glacier tonight is ON TIME out of Stanley!!!

you lead a charmed life, JayPea. i'm going to be on 7 out of west glacier in a couple weeks and don't look forward to waiting around the platform waiting for a 5,6,7 or 8 hour late eb

It must be my good looks, charming personality, and most of all my extreme humility. :lol: Just over an hour late at Glasgow; we might be a little late but not too bad and could get into Spokane on time! Not such good of luck with the weather, though: it rained on and off Thursday, mostly on, was nice but windy yesterday, and poured down rain today. I hope you have a great trip, Yarrow and you won't have to deal with hours-late EBs. And the weather is much nicer for you.

 

[Phil S]

Perhaps T-shirts saying "I survived North Dakota!!!!"

Better than I survived Amtrak.

 

[jebr]

And now a new spot for delays, at least for the next three weeks or so. Talking with the conductor on board sounds like it's in the Northtown yard area (so the Empire Builder runs through there as well.)

 

[D.P. Roberts]

For those of you with knowledge of the EB situation and are proficient with crystal balls...

What do you think the EB's schedule will look like next summer? Will it be better or worse than it is right now? Will Amtrak still be running on a "modified" schedule?

I'm thinking of planning a trip to Glacier National Park next summer, and I'm trying to figure out which stop would be best for detraining (least likely to be the middle of the night).

 

[Ispolkom]

I feel like Amtrak should pass out free booze and have a party every time the EB is on-time coming out of ND. It seems like a special occasion to me these days.

No, the free booze should be for the epics, the 12+ hour late trains. I'll be on #7 on Tuesday. I live in hope.

 

[William W.]

I feel like Amtrak should pass out free booze and have a party every time the EB is on-time coming out of ND. It seems like a special occasion to me these days.

No, the free booze should be for the epics, the 12+ hour late trains. I'll be on #7 on Tuesday. I live in hope.

Give booze to pissed off sleeping car pax, starving/pissed off coach pax, and disheveled, caffeine-fueled OBS? What's the worst that could happen?

:unsure: hboy: :help:

 

[NW cannonball]

For those of you with knowledge of the EB situation and are proficient with crystal balls...

What do you think the EB's schedule will look like next summer? Will it be better or worse than it is right now? Will Amtrak still be running on a "modified" schedule?

I'm thinking of planning a trip to Glacier National Park next summer, and I'm trying to figure out which stop would be best for detraining (least likely to be the middle of the night).

Sorry, my crystal ball is worse than some contributors, better than others, but -

A year out -- we can all post guesses, but YMMV and your time of arrival is "in the lap of the gods" - and will be next year also.

That's the best I can guess.

But I do plan to ride the EB at least once or twice the next 12 months.

 

[William W.]

I'm looking at taking it next January, during my college's winter break. That way, if the train disappears for a few days, I won't miss class.

Despite the delays, it still seems like one of the best routes scenery wise. It's definitely at the top of my "next train adventure" list.

 

[Ispolkom]

I feel like Amtrak should pass out free booze and have a party every time the EB is on-time coming out of ND. It seems like a special occasion to me these days.

No, the free booze should be for the epics, the 12+ hour late trains. I'll be on #7 on Tuesday. I live in hope.

Give booze to pissed off sleeping car pax, starving/pissed off coach pax, and disheveled, caffeine-fueled OBS? What's the worst that could happen?

:unsure: hboy: :help:

Well, I'd hope that the OBS wouldn't be drinking. That just isn't right. Otherwise, it's just another ride on that Hell-Bound Train, which should probably be the Empire Builder's new moniker.

 

[NW cannonball]

I'm looking at taking it next January, during my college's winter break. That way, if the train disappears for a few days, I won't miss class.

Despite the delays, it still seems like one of the best routes scenery wise. It's definitely at the top of my "next train adventure" list.

"Scenery-wise" the CZ may be better, and the SWC at Raton (but not elsewhere), and the New River on the Card.

The best parts on the EB are (to my mind) - the Cascades, the Rockies (depending on season and train lateness) and the Upper Mississippi from Red Wing to La Crosse. YMMV.

And, if you like rolling prairies, Montana goes a long way beyond the Rockies.

The EB is the train I sometimes need to ride, but the scenery is always good.

Hope you enjoy.

 

[NW cannonball]

Not all the delays are due to the commonly cited "oil trains" "BNSF underinvestment" "track work" "bad dispatching" (I personally think the dispatchers in Fort Worth are doing a real good job, considering what they have to deal with)

There's the "normal" delays, that sometimes pile up and give the dispatchers ulcers. And the "headline" typical delays what with the oilfields and trackwork.

And then there's the random stuff on top of that - it just cascades (Pun intended)

Here's the unusual delays from my son's trip on #8 about a week ago -

Engine failed climbing to Stevens Pass, with the PV on the tail they couldn't make it with one P42 - 4.5 hours to get a BNSF helper and pilot.

Lost time out of slot -

In mid-ND crew saw Motorcycle-pickup collision - stopped to give aid - luckily RN's and EMT's on board stabilised victims while waiting half hour for local first responders -- out on the Hi-Line it is a long way from help.

Last big delay - almost to SPUD - got stuck behind an intermodal evolution near Saint Anthony - less than 5 miles from SPUD. Arrived SPUD about 12 hours late.

A mix of forseeable problems and one stop to aid and assist. On top of, but exacerbated by, the well-known chronic problems.

I'm guessing that overall, the EB gets slowly better on OTP over the next year or two. Remember the "Coast Starlate" -- like that. But slowly.

 

[neroden]

My crystal ball is pretty good on big picture long term stuff but not good enough at detail to predict the performance of the Empire Builder a year from now.

Odds are I'll be taking it next year, though, so I hope it gets better. :-(

 

[montana mike]

Looks like that one brief shining moment was just that--brief. Things appear to be back to normal delays this AM. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted!!

I agree on the scenery comments. The current schedule sadly makes the traverse thru GNP a non-event (unless the EB is really late), but on the plus side the ride thru the Cascades is in more daylight.

;-)

 

[yarrow]

the run along the kootenai river in idaho in daylight on a late 7 makes up for a lot. especially if you are enjoying an extra breakfast

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The schedule will look similar, except for a text box that says "Notice of Discontinuance 180 days from the effective date of this schedule"

 

[andersone]

DP - Glacier detraining,,,

I think the East Side is the nicest,,, and to me the porch on the Many Glacier Hotel is the greatest spot on earth....

The West Side is Lake McDonald,,,, This summer I am getting off at EPK , going to Many Glacier and then West via renter, and returning to East because you can't pick up a renter on one side and drop it off on another,,, but if you only get one,,, go EAST

 

[JayPea]

I was just on that very porch at Many Glacier......and it is very beautiful....even though it was pouring down rain ar the time. Did the same thing..rented a car at East Glacier and drove west. Enjoyed every bit of it!

 

[D.P. Roberts]

DP - Glacier detraining,,,

I think the East Side is the nicest,,, and to me the porch on the Many Glacier Hotel is the greatest spot on earth....

The West Side is Lake McDonald,,,, This summer I am getting off at EPK , going to Many Glacier and then West via renter, and returning to East because you can't pick up a renter on one side and drop it off on another,,, but if you only get one,,, go EAST

I was just on that very porch at Many Glacier......and it is very beautiful....even though it was pouring down rain ar the time. Did the same thing..rented a car at East Glacier and drove west. Enjoyed every bit of it!

Thanks to both of you for your advice. I agree that Many Glacier is beautiful... it's where we'd like to stay. Ideally, I'd like to avoid renting a car, at least while we visit Many Glacier - there are so many hikes and fun things to see & do in the area, it seems silly to pay for a rental car while we're not using it.

Our problem is that there's no Amtrak station anywhere near Many Glacier. Also, Many Glacier isn't on the park's free shuttle service - I know there's a private company that runs a shuttle on the east side, but it costs almost as much as renting a car.

We'll probably end up doing what we did last time - taking the EB to Whitefish & picking up a car there, as it was substantially cheaper than renting a car at any of the other stops. And, if our train next year is as late as #27 was for us this year, we won't arrive in Whitefish until 7:00 am. OTOH, if it's an "average" EB, we'll arrive at 3:00 am - and then what to you do? Try and get to a hotel for a few hours, or sleep in the rental car until the sun rises?

That's why I thought GPK would be better - even if the EB is running late, it's going to arrive in GPK earlier in the evening, and we can just walk across to the lodge. But how to get to Many Glacier from there?

It's hard enough to figure out how to get around Glacier, and when you factor in a train that can be anywhere from on time to 12+ hours late, it's almost impossible to "plan" anything.

 

[andersone]

the other oddity,,, if you pick up a renter on the east side you have to drop it on the east side,,, and vice versa,,,,,

I scheduled an extra night on the east to do same,, especially with the new "early" eastbound departure,,,,,,