Empire Builder next week!

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

RedSquirrel

Train Attendant
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Messages
16
I'm taking the EB from CHI to WFH next week, spending a couple of nights in WFH, then flying home... :)

On my previous LD Amtrak trips, I've always wished I brought an atlas so I could better track where I was, the terrain, check the names of rivers, towns, etc. Is there any particular atlas that might be good for this route? Also... does anybody have any reading suggestions specifically for the EB, maybe something like Henry Kisor's wonderful Zephyr specific to the Builder? Or even a decent route guide that is more expansive than the cursory one that Amtrak provides on its website?

All suggestions appreciated.

*Sqrrl*
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Do you have a GPS device? Set it for off-road use, then you can see things that are on either side of the track that you may not see from the train.

Hubby and I will be taking the EB from CHI on Aug 3. it leaves at 2:15 PM, so I assume that lunch will not be an option on the train unless we pay for it. I'm going to try to go to Lou Mitchell's for lunch before boarding the EB.
 
Hi Red Squirrel!

Sounds like a fun trip but, then again, all train trips are fun to me
smile.gif


One of our members, rtabern, on the forum wrote a book about part of the EB route - Outside the Rails - A Rail Route Guide from Chicago to St. Paul, MN

Might be something to look into.

He was also a guide for the Trails and Rails program on the EB.

Maybe he'll see this thread and share some tips - you could send him a message too.
 
I like the book "Rail Ventures" by Swanson, as an expanded route guide across the Amtrak and VIA system.
 
Unfortunately, this year the Going-to-the-Sun Road won't be open until at least the 15th, and it may even be later. :(

As far as maps go, I'd agree that the best bet these days is a GPS unit or a smartphone with Google maps or Google earth. As far as detailed paper maps go, you can by individual state atlases for $20 or so each, but that might be overkill for a single trip. (My favorite Montana atlas is made by a company called Benchmark.)

I don't know of a travel guide specifically for the Empire Builder route ... but it sure seems like there'd be a market for it. I have a bunch of the old WPA guidebooks for various states, and like to look at those ... even though they're quite old, now, the descriptions and history are still great. The full content of many of them are available online, and you could assemble your own guidebook from them with a little effort. Here's a link to the Montana book -- the Empire Builder route in Montana closely follows "Tour 2" in that book:

http://archive.org/details/montanastateguid00federich

Otherwise, I like to bring general travel narratives along on trips like that, even though they're not always exactly congruent. A Paul Theroux travelogue, maybe ... or if you want something about a trip through the northwest, maybe Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley."
 
Here's a link to the original Empire Builder route guide from years ago, replaced by the current one. It offers more details that the current one does.
 
USA By Rail by John Pitt 8th edition now available. Just follow the book as you travel along, it will tell you things you would never know otherwise. Covers all Antrak routes and most Canadian. To me it's the rail traveler's bible especially if you are returning on another train.
 
spot1181 said:
USA By Rail by John Pitt 8th edition now available. Just follow the book as you travel along, it will tell you things you would never know otherwise. Covers all Antrak routes and most Canadian. To me it's the rail traveler's bible especially if you are returning on another train.
Click to expand...
DITTO!

Have Fun
 
MeisterEric said:
spot1181 said:
USA By Rail by John Pitt 8th edition now available. Just follow the book as you travel along, it will tell you things you would never know otherwise. Covers all Antrak routes and most Canadian. To me it's the rail traveler's bible especially if you are returning on another train.
Click to expand...

"USA by Rail"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170858865268&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
Click to expand...
I have this book and also Rail Ventures (Swanson). Pitt's book seems to have more historical information about areas along the routes, and Swanson's book geared more toward the scenery and natural history. So pick which one interests you most! Or both, if you don't mind hauling along two books.
 
Thanks so much for all the helpful suggestions here. I think I'll go to my local library and photocopy the relevant pages of USA By Rail and also print out that old route guide that Alan linked.

I'll send an update on the trip to let y'all know how it goes!

*Sqrrl*
 
Not sure if anybody has given you this link or not. https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=1a433b6c9cfe4feb88f50c1c1575e98a&extent=-129.8584,20.0275,-56.294,52.0879 At any rate you zoom into to a very detailed look at the route. For my trip to california this summer, I actually printed about 200 pages making sort of a trip tik from Chicago to San Francisco (Emeryville) on the California Zephyr. It was another AU forum person who gave me the link. Hope you have a wonderful trip!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top