My wife and I were invited to a family reunion in Montana this past summer and so we decided to make an adventure out of it by riding Amtrak from our home in Ohio to Montana and then on to the west coast. Starting out we were somewhat apprehensive (having heard the usual horror stories about Amtrak), but overall we were very pleased with Amtrak and generally had a great time. We quickly learned that the key to a pleasent experience on Amtrak is (1)patience, (2)saying "please" and "thank you" and (3)having sleeper accomodations.
We boarded the Lakeshore Limited in Sandusky, Ohio (just east of Toledo). I checked the website before leaving our house and found that our train was running about 1 1/2 hours late - which appears to be about normal for this train. Once on the road on the way to the station, we found that the Amtrak phone updates worked well. We also had a pleasant surprise at the Sandusky station, which is not in the best of neighborhoods, to discover that there were quite a number of other people waiting, so we felt very comfortable waiting in the dark at 5am for the train. We quickly learned what experienced Amtrak travelers take for granted: that train travelers are very nice people. Try striking up a conversation with a stranger in an airport some time and they will probably call for security.
Sandusky has no luggage check, but the Conductor and Attendent courteously helped us on with our large suitcases and found a place for them in the vestibule of our Viewliner car. Because we would be breaking up our journey several times, we had decided to reserve a small bedroom if we would be on the train during just the day and a large bedroom if we would be sleeping on the train. This strategy worked out well - more on this later.
Since we would only be on the Lakeshore Ltd for a few hours, we had reserved only a small bedroom. Because it was early morning, the beds were not made up, but the attendent was happy to lower the top bunk so my wife could climb up there for a couple of more hours of sleep. He then offered to get me a cup of coffee from the next car, since the coffee pot in our car was broken.
I am six feet tall, but had no problem sitting in the chair in our compartment while my wife snoozed above my head. Of course, the double windows in these cars makes it much less claustrophobic for the person in the upper bunk. Our compartment was clean and neat and the toilet and sink worked fine.
Unfortunately, the closer we got to Chicago the more time we lost, and ultimately arrived at Union Station almost 3 hours late. So another lesson learned is to give yourself plenty of time between connections. We originally had five hours before the Empire Builder left, so even with "Amtrak time" we still had two hours to eat and look around. And certainly, Union Station is worth a look - especially the restored original art deco waiting rooms.
The station was a madhouse the day that we came through - it reminded me of a busy airport. Traveling first class we were able to make use of the Metro Lounge, but finding it took some doing and when we finally did we discovered a long line out the door of customers checking in. But again, the Amtrak employees at the desk and the luggage check were efficient and friendly. Even with the crowds, there were plenty of seats in the lounge and being able to board the train through the special door rather than fighting the crowds in the station was a big plus.
We had heard that the Empire Builder was one of the better Amtrak trains and it lived up to its name for us. Again, our car attendent was very friendly and efficient. Since we would be on this train for almost 24 hours, we had reserved a large bedroom, which we found to be quite comfortable. One problem that we did notice with these bedrooms is the thin walls between compartments. If we were quiet, we could hear most of what was being said in the adjacent room. Fortunately, our neighbors were friendly and quiet and we ended up having a nice dinner with them. The attendent even offeded to open the wall between our rooms, but we decided that we didn't want to be that friendly.
The attendent made up both beds, but in these large bedrooms the lower bunk can accomodate two friendly people, so my wife and I shared the this bunk. However, it is very tight and after the first night like this, my wife informed me that I would be sleeping in the upper bunk from now on.
Once I got the hang of using the small in-room shower, I enjoyed it. As we learned, the engineers on the EB like to roll right alone, so I found the small size of the shower to actually be a blessing as the train rolled and rocked. By bracing my legs between the extended lower bunk and the wall I even learned to shave myself without loosing too much blood.
But the best part of the trip for me, was getting up just after sunrise and sipping my coffee as I watched the great wide open prairie role by my window. I don't think there is any better way to travel than this and wish that I was a poet so that I could describe it.
We ran into the usual freight traffic problems, but the public address system kept us informed of our progress, which I found to be better than not knowing anything at all. After several delays, we were told that the BN had given us a green light to get back on schedule and they were good to their word. We arrived the next morning in Williston, ND, our first stop for our reunion, on schedule to the minute.
Several days later we reboarded the EB in Williston for the next leg of our jouney across northern Montana to Glacier Park. Again, since we would be on the train for only the daylight hours, we had reserved a small bedroom for this leg of our journey. While nice and again very clean, we quickly decided that the small bedrooms on the older Viewliners were much nicer. However, as on the viewliner, my wife was able to climb into the upper bunk for a nap, while I sat comfortably in the recliner.
Again, the EB was on schedule for most of this trip, which has to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Mountains always in the distance and small towns and stations, each with the obligatory grain elevators.
We found dining to be a pleasant experience on the EB. Again, an advantage of sleeper accomodations is getting first call of dinner reservations. We quickly discovered that the menu, while varied and good, did not change from day to day. But the service was good and we always had interesting dining companions. They only served beer and wine in the dining car, but the attendent explained that I could walk to the club car to get a mixed drink and bring it back if I so desired.
We arrived in East Glacier on time. The train station sits close to the 100 year old Glacier Park Lodge (built by the Great Northern to entice people to ride their trains), which presents a great backdrop to this depot. You can walk to the hotel, but using the curtesy car is recommended if you have much luggage.
After our stay in the Park we got back on the EB at East Glacier. This time it was running about 1/2 late. We again had a large compartment, since we would be on the train all the way to Portland. Also, since they put the Portland sleepers in the back of the train, we had a hefty hike to our car. Once on board, we were faced with our first real Amtrak glitch - none of the toilets were working in our sleeper car. The attandent was very apologetic and carefully explained how we could walk to the next car forward, a coach car, to use their facilities. Other than this, the car was again clean and neat. In all our sleepers, there was always plenty of hot coffee and cold juices available and newspapers in the morning. Interestingly, being at the end of the train meant that we couldn't really hear the horn, which we had grown quite fond of when we were closer to the engine. My wife, who is a light sleeper, had no problem with this horn sounding at every crossing.
As previously noted, I took the upper bunk, which in the large bedroom is fairly easy to get into. The attendant had made the be up so that my head faced the compartment door. I reversed this for two reasons - (1) so that my head wouldn't be directly under the ceiling air vent and (2) so that with my head next to the window it felt less claustrophobic. There is a lot of motion in the upper bunk, but I slept well until after midnight when they disconnected our sleeper from the rest of the train in Spokane. Everything went real quiet when the HVAC stopped and I could just imagine Amtrak forgetting about us and having to spend the night sweating in a train yard. But before too long I felt the bump as the new train picked us up and this was quickly followed by the flow of cool air from the ceiling duct again. Amtrak had come through. However, they did not manage to fix the toilets during this layover - that probably was expecting too much.
Having to walk through the coach to use the bathrooms, did allow us to really appreciate our accomodations as we say people spread out in various back breaking positions trying to sleep. And we found that the bathrooms in the coach car were also well kept and clean.
We arrived in Portland on schedule again and were beginning to think that Amtrak's reputation for lateness was overblown. (Sadly, we were to learn differently on the next leg of our trip.) Portland also has a metro lounge which we used to store our luggage and then took a walk into downtown Portland. The train station is relatively close to the downtown area and we felt very safe walking around in this clean town. After a nice lunch, we returned to the Metro Lounge to be informed that due to construction on the track the Coastal Starlight, our next train, would probably be running late. The attendent didn't seem to have any details and told us that it really depended on how late the construction crews were running that day.
We ended up leaving Portland two hours behind schedule. Again, traveling in a sleeper, we were able to spend these two hours enjoying a wine tasting ceremony with cheese and crackers. The time passed quickly, but once leaving the station we seemed to creep along the tracks. People with walkers were passing us on the sidewalks and the public address anouncements said that things would only get worse.
To add to our distress, this was unfortunately the only leg on our journey where we had a lazy and generally surly sleeper attendent. He seemed genuinely put out when we asked him to prepare the upper bunk so my wife could sleep. We had looked forward to this part of the journey over the Cascades, but since we were running four hours late, the sun was long gone by the time that we got to them. We were getting off the train in Klamath Falls, OR, to visit my brother. Because we were running so late, we didn't arrive until about 2AM. Our car attendant never gave us any warning that we were approaching our stop. I happend to notice a billboard out my window as we approached Klamath Falls, so we had time to pack up and get ready. I wonder what would have happended otherwise.
The last leg of our journey was from Klammath Falls to Oakland, CA. The Coast Starlight was about an hour late picking us up and maintained that schedule into Oakland. We again had a large sleeper and we both slept like babies. I guess after while one gets use to the motion and noise and can sleep confortably on the train. I did make a planning mistake on this part of the trip, as we were spending the night in Napa, CA. Instead of getting off at one of the stops north of the bay, we rode the train all the way into Oakland and then had to backtrack in our rental car. Oh, well, live and learn and we did get to see Jack London Station where the train goes right down the middle of the street.
The rest of our trip was by car and plane. For the record, our flight home out of LAX was three hours late, so Amtrak is not alone in missing its schedules. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the train. We don't see ourselves becoming serious train travelers, but would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for something a little different. It certainly is a great way to see the country and meet some great people. Again, if you can afford a sleeper, that is definitely the way to go. Also, give yourself plenty of time and then just sit back and enjoy.
We boarded the Lakeshore Limited in Sandusky, Ohio (just east of Toledo). I checked the website before leaving our house and found that our train was running about 1 1/2 hours late - which appears to be about normal for this train. Once on the road on the way to the station, we found that the Amtrak phone updates worked well. We also had a pleasant surprise at the Sandusky station, which is not in the best of neighborhoods, to discover that there were quite a number of other people waiting, so we felt very comfortable waiting in the dark at 5am for the train. We quickly learned what experienced Amtrak travelers take for granted: that train travelers are very nice people. Try striking up a conversation with a stranger in an airport some time and they will probably call for security.
Sandusky has no luggage check, but the Conductor and Attendent courteously helped us on with our large suitcases and found a place for them in the vestibule of our Viewliner car. Because we would be breaking up our journey several times, we had decided to reserve a small bedroom if we would be on the train during just the day and a large bedroom if we would be sleeping on the train. This strategy worked out well - more on this later.
Since we would only be on the Lakeshore Ltd for a few hours, we had reserved only a small bedroom. Because it was early morning, the beds were not made up, but the attendent was happy to lower the top bunk so my wife could climb up there for a couple of more hours of sleep. He then offered to get me a cup of coffee from the next car, since the coffee pot in our car was broken.
I am six feet tall, but had no problem sitting in the chair in our compartment while my wife snoozed above my head. Of course, the double windows in these cars makes it much less claustrophobic for the person in the upper bunk. Our compartment was clean and neat and the toilet and sink worked fine.
Unfortunately, the closer we got to Chicago the more time we lost, and ultimately arrived at Union Station almost 3 hours late. So another lesson learned is to give yourself plenty of time between connections. We originally had five hours before the Empire Builder left, so even with "Amtrak time" we still had two hours to eat and look around. And certainly, Union Station is worth a look - especially the restored original art deco waiting rooms.
The station was a madhouse the day that we came through - it reminded me of a busy airport. Traveling first class we were able to make use of the Metro Lounge, but finding it took some doing and when we finally did we discovered a long line out the door of customers checking in. But again, the Amtrak employees at the desk and the luggage check were efficient and friendly. Even with the crowds, there were plenty of seats in the lounge and being able to board the train through the special door rather than fighting the crowds in the station was a big plus.
We had heard that the Empire Builder was one of the better Amtrak trains and it lived up to its name for us. Again, our car attendent was very friendly and efficient. Since we would be on this train for almost 24 hours, we had reserved a large bedroom, which we found to be quite comfortable. One problem that we did notice with these bedrooms is the thin walls between compartments. If we were quiet, we could hear most of what was being said in the adjacent room. Fortunately, our neighbors were friendly and quiet and we ended up having a nice dinner with them. The attendent even offeded to open the wall between our rooms, but we decided that we didn't want to be that friendly.
The attendent made up both beds, but in these large bedrooms the lower bunk can accomodate two friendly people, so my wife and I shared the this bunk. However, it is very tight and after the first night like this, my wife informed me that I would be sleeping in the upper bunk from now on.
Once I got the hang of using the small in-room shower, I enjoyed it. As we learned, the engineers on the EB like to roll right alone, so I found the small size of the shower to actually be a blessing as the train rolled and rocked. By bracing my legs between the extended lower bunk and the wall I even learned to shave myself without loosing too much blood.
But the best part of the trip for me, was getting up just after sunrise and sipping my coffee as I watched the great wide open prairie role by my window. I don't think there is any better way to travel than this and wish that I was a poet so that I could describe it.
We ran into the usual freight traffic problems, but the public address system kept us informed of our progress, which I found to be better than not knowing anything at all. After several delays, we were told that the BN had given us a green light to get back on schedule and they were good to their word. We arrived the next morning in Williston, ND, our first stop for our reunion, on schedule to the minute.
Several days later we reboarded the EB in Williston for the next leg of our jouney across northern Montana to Glacier Park. Again, since we would be on the train for only the daylight hours, we had reserved a small bedroom for this leg of our journey. While nice and again very clean, we quickly decided that the small bedrooms on the older Viewliners were much nicer. However, as on the viewliner, my wife was able to climb into the upper bunk for a nap, while I sat comfortably in the recliner.
Again, the EB was on schedule for most of this trip, which has to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Mountains always in the distance and small towns and stations, each with the obligatory grain elevators.
We found dining to be a pleasant experience on the EB. Again, an advantage of sleeper accomodations is getting first call of dinner reservations. We quickly discovered that the menu, while varied and good, did not change from day to day. But the service was good and we always had interesting dining companions. They only served beer and wine in the dining car, but the attendent explained that I could walk to the club car to get a mixed drink and bring it back if I so desired.
We arrived in East Glacier on time. The train station sits close to the 100 year old Glacier Park Lodge (built by the Great Northern to entice people to ride their trains), which presents a great backdrop to this depot. You can walk to the hotel, but using the curtesy car is recommended if you have much luggage.
After our stay in the Park we got back on the EB at East Glacier. This time it was running about 1/2 late. We again had a large compartment, since we would be on the train all the way to Portland. Also, since they put the Portland sleepers in the back of the train, we had a hefty hike to our car. Once on board, we were faced with our first real Amtrak glitch - none of the toilets were working in our sleeper car. The attandent was very apologetic and carefully explained how we could walk to the next car forward, a coach car, to use their facilities. Other than this, the car was again clean and neat. In all our sleepers, there was always plenty of hot coffee and cold juices available and newspapers in the morning. Interestingly, being at the end of the train meant that we couldn't really hear the horn, which we had grown quite fond of when we were closer to the engine. My wife, who is a light sleeper, had no problem with this horn sounding at every crossing.
As previously noted, I took the upper bunk, which in the large bedroom is fairly easy to get into. The attendant had made the be up so that my head faced the compartment door. I reversed this for two reasons - (1) so that my head wouldn't be directly under the ceiling air vent and (2) so that with my head next to the window it felt less claustrophobic. There is a lot of motion in the upper bunk, but I slept well until after midnight when they disconnected our sleeper from the rest of the train in Spokane. Everything went real quiet when the HVAC stopped and I could just imagine Amtrak forgetting about us and having to spend the night sweating in a train yard. But before too long I felt the bump as the new train picked us up and this was quickly followed by the flow of cool air from the ceiling duct again. Amtrak had come through. However, they did not manage to fix the toilets during this layover - that probably was expecting too much.
Having to walk through the coach to use the bathrooms, did allow us to really appreciate our accomodations as we say people spread out in various back breaking positions trying to sleep. And we found that the bathrooms in the coach car were also well kept and clean.
We arrived in Portland on schedule again and were beginning to think that Amtrak's reputation for lateness was overblown. (Sadly, we were to learn differently on the next leg of our trip.) Portland also has a metro lounge which we used to store our luggage and then took a walk into downtown Portland. The train station is relatively close to the downtown area and we felt very safe walking around in this clean town. After a nice lunch, we returned to the Metro Lounge to be informed that due to construction on the track the Coastal Starlight, our next train, would probably be running late. The attendent didn't seem to have any details and told us that it really depended on how late the construction crews were running that day.
We ended up leaving Portland two hours behind schedule. Again, traveling in a sleeper, we were able to spend these two hours enjoying a wine tasting ceremony with cheese and crackers. The time passed quickly, but once leaving the station we seemed to creep along the tracks. People with walkers were passing us on the sidewalks and the public address anouncements said that things would only get worse.
To add to our distress, this was unfortunately the only leg on our journey where we had a lazy and generally surly sleeper attendent. He seemed genuinely put out when we asked him to prepare the upper bunk so my wife could sleep. We had looked forward to this part of the journey over the Cascades, but since we were running four hours late, the sun was long gone by the time that we got to them. We were getting off the train in Klamath Falls, OR, to visit my brother. Because we were running so late, we didn't arrive until about 2AM. Our car attendant never gave us any warning that we were approaching our stop. I happend to notice a billboard out my window as we approached Klamath Falls, so we had time to pack up and get ready. I wonder what would have happended otherwise.
The last leg of our journey was from Klammath Falls to Oakland, CA. The Coast Starlight was about an hour late picking us up and maintained that schedule into Oakland. We again had a large sleeper and we both slept like babies. I guess after while one gets use to the motion and noise and can sleep confortably on the train. I did make a planning mistake on this part of the trip, as we were spending the night in Napa, CA. Instead of getting off at one of the stops north of the bay, we rode the train all the way into Oakland and then had to backtrack in our rental car. Oh, well, live and learn and we did get to see Jack London Station where the train goes right down the middle of the street.
The rest of our trip was by car and plane. For the record, our flight home out of LAX was three hours late, so Amtrak is not alone in missing its schedules. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the train. We don't see ourselves becoming serious train travelers, but would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for something a little different. It certainly is a great way to see the country and meet some great people. Again, if you can afford a sleeper, that is definitely the way to go. Also, give yourself plenty of time and then just sit back and enjoy.
Glad you guys had a great time.
