I'll simply offer some of the high and not so highlights here and add a link for the pictures later.
This was my frist long distance AMTRAK trip since having taken the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville several years ago. I was hoping for an improved experience over that one and in some ways it happened, and in other ways it didn't.
I flew from my home in Arlington, Va, early on the morning of the 29th; changed in Chicago for the longer segment to PDX. The flights went without a hitch including the trip through TSA-security at Washington National and no complaints.
When I arrived at PDX around 12:30 PM I was able to get right out of the terminal since I had only carry-on luggage and easily found the MAX light rail ticket machine. Since I am now one of the so-called "honored citizens" at age greater than 65 I thought I'd be able to purchase a cheaper ticket from the machine but no luck. Perhaps I am more mechanically challenged than I am willing to admit but I ended up paying the regular fare..and at less than $3.00 for a trip from the airport all the way to Union Station I wasn't about to complain about the price.
The ride in was interesting and smooth although my one change ended up being a little confusing due to what I thought is not the absolutely greatest signage in the system. Overall this is a great way to get downtown and other points from PDX and unlike some major airports in the US, this at least approaches what we have been fortunate enough to experience at an increasing number of US airports and major airports in Europe for years..long, LONG overdue in the US IMO.
I was easily able to scan my reservation receipt at the kiosk in the waiting area of Union Station and made my way into the Metropolitan Lounge. Bear in mind I was WAAAAY early for the 4:45 departure and was greeted in the Lounge by the AMTRAK attendant who, once seeing my ticket, remarked:
"We don't know where it (the westbound Empire Builder) IS [emphasis mine] or when it will get here. We aren't even sure if it WILL get here today." No other explanation offered. No word about anything that might be being done..just a rather snarky smirk on the face and a shrug of the shoulders.
I thought to myself, "How long am I going to give this before I start making hotel reservations for the night and a return airline ticket for tomorrow morning?" I decided, TWO HOURS.....MAX.
In the meanwhile, the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland is pleasant, has plenty of room for luggage storage, has computer access (more on that in a moment), and free juice, coffee...there is a sort of combo snack bar and soiuvenir stand in the station itself..you can buy every conceivable railroad logo T shirt on the planet but nothing that says anything about Portland. I did manage to get a Portland shot glass for a friend who collects them.
There were other sleeping car passengers in the lounge waiting for other long distance trains to depart...the place wasn't crowded. Also in the lounge were several AMTRAK car attendants, etc., who I eventually learned were there to get on the perhaps-departing Empire Builder, too. Unfortunately, one of them decided she absolutely HAD to surf the web on the one available computer and stayed put for at least an hour as she chatted with her what appeared to be boyfriend...another AMTRAK car attendant. i had my own laptop with me so didn't need the one provided but I kept thinking about the "customer service" ethic.
About an hour later the lounge attendant announced that busses had been ordered and secured and that we would be bussed from PDX to Spokane in order to link up with the eastbound EB coming from Seattle. At this time it was also announced that "due to an unfortunate mishap" what remained of the westbound train which had also, "had engine problems," was being towed back to Spokane and that towed portion included the Sightseer Lounge so there wouldn't BE one on this eastbound trip...AT ALL! Apparently there had been some real question as to whether or not AMTRAK could even GET the busses needed but they were eventually secured. We were told the busses would leave at the same time the regular train would have left.
As that time approached, the AMTRAK attendants were hustled out of the Lounge and I gather onto a separate piece of transport equipment..probably a van. The rest of us were led to the front of the station where the busses were waiting and eventually we and all the other train passengers were loaded on and we departed a little after 5:00 PM. Sleeping car passengers were given the cold dinner tray they would normall have gotten on the train. The other passengers got sandwiches from Subway as we began the trip to Spokane.
The scenery as the light slowly faded was interesting along the Columbia and it was fascinating to see the color and topography slowly give way from the pine and fir tree central of northwestern Orgeon to that brown and somewhat less-forested area as you move east. We stayed on the Oregon side of the river for several hours. It was a long and tiring trip and you could see this in the faces of some of the passengers. Oh yes, we did make two smoke stops..after all, some things just cannot be overlooked. It was interesting to talk to some of the folks on the bus. My seatmate was an 18-year-old exchange student from Russia who had some fascinating views on US life, etc., that I enjoyed hearing.
We pulled into Spokane station around 11:30 PM...by this time I had been up for almost 24 hours so was kinda numb. Nothing was said as we piled into the station, no word from any AMTRAK employees, etc. as we seemed to gravitate into a long waiting area in front of the "To Trains" sign..to wait. We did notice those car attendants I had seen in Portland running back and forth in and out of an office on the other side of the "To Trains" doors..I suspect they probably didn't enjoy their own trip east much either.
After about an hour we were able to board. I wasn't sure just where they were coming up with the necessary equipment but to AMTRAK's credit it did so and when we boarded the train seemed ready to go. I was in bedroom C in car #2830 (unmarked on the outside initially but I figured out where it was). The minute I got into the bedroom (the lower was already made up and ready) I more or less put my stuff away and collapsed...ASLEEP instantly...as we pulled slowly out of Spokane. I did notice that the seats were draped with Coast Starlight logo headrest covers so perhaps that's where the equipment came from. Overall, I was happy I hadn't bailed out on this so-far, somewhat usual trip.
Early morning on Friday and I mean about 5 AM (I usually get up around 4 AM for work anyway) I woke up and we are GLIDING along somewhere west of Whitefish...I was able to shave and shower. The shower worked pretty well even though for whatever reason it was not one of those "turns off after 20 seconds" things..either because it wasn't working right or whatever but I was HAPPY and took my usual "Navy shower" and there was PLENTY of hot water and the pressure was decent, too. Just about everything in the bedroom worked...except one of the reading lights wouldn't turn off and the temperature was IMPOSSIBLE to adjust (others in the same car I talked with subsequently had the same complaint) but other than those things and there were fixes for those (no not duct tape but I agree it is always a good thing to have)....such as stuffing one of the provided bath towels into the air vent to keep most of the frigid air out.
I want to make a few subjective comments about cleanliness right here. I thought overall the bedroom was clean enough and I am not one of those people who feels compelled to bring a bottle of Clorox or the wipes or Lysol and wipe everything down. First of all, it shouldnt even be something you have to THINK about doing...I guess these same people do it everywhere they stay...which brings me to my own extensive experience with infectious diseases and all I will say is..wash your hands and you'll probably be OK...enough ranting..I thought the housekeeping in this peice of well-used equipment was fine and I was not about to fear for my life in that regard.
Got to Whitefish more or less on time..nicely BRISK at that time of morning and fun to get off and walk around for a few minutes...Spring seems to just be taking hold in that part of the world and it was nice to see.
Had breakfast in the dining car. The Sightseer Lounge "snack" offerings were vended from one end of the dining car throughout the entire trip by a man who spent a lot of his down time reading newspapers...you kinda had to nudge him to get his attention to sell you something.
Food was quite tasty throughout and the service I thought was good and I'm picky about that having waited on more than a few tables in my lifetime. People I sat with were interesting conversationalists and as I xpected there were more than a few who were on the train because they do not like flying. I heard every POSSIBLE airline horror story EVER from some of these nice folks; I refrained from telling them about a certain recent bus trip complete with addiction-enablement stops.
IMO the scenery in western Montana and on through Glacier Park must be the "highlight" for most folks who take this route. However, I also find the other landscapes, especially when you get as far east as, say, Havre and on into western North Dakota equally compelling if for nothing else than the enormous VASTNESS and few, if any tress, the scrub sage and other vegetation. And there was the usual WIND once we left the mountains. Also and unlike the similar ViaRail "Canadian" trip which I am about to take once again in a couple of weeks, what we still seem to have plenty of in that part of the US is/are GRAIN ELEVATORS which seem to have somewhat disappeared from parts of Prairie Province Canada. These buildings are truly iconic IMO and wonderful to see in their various states of repair. Having grown up in Southern Wyoming I am used to some of this bleak territory but I found myself wondering more than once as we passed through, "How can people live in some of these places?" I can easily answer, too: "No problem, especially if this is what you're used to."
A word about my car attendant. The guy seemed to be going through the motions but he was diligent enough. He finally got the coffee pot in the car to work but we had nothing to stir the coffee with but one learns to make do. I gave him a tip up front and again at the end. I can only imagine the impediments to excellence these people probably have to suffer through.
We were delayed "in the hole" (sidings) very infrequently and I would have to say that the roadbed was for the most part SMOOTH (that ride on the CZ I took a few years ago across southern Iowa HAS to have been the ROUGHEST piece of rairoad I have ever experienced so this was a nice extra). We seem to have been delayed more often so that the westbound EB could pass us and that was twice as I recall.
I had another very restful night across North Dakota and didn't wake up until almost into Detroit Lakes, Mn (about 1 hour late)...those of you who have been there know this is another scenery change..from moonscape to the land of "pines and lofty balsams" and it seemed REALLY green!!! The train kept and actually made up some time in Minnesota and we actually arrived in Chicago only about 30 minutes late.
Overall and despite the challenges I enjoyed this trip and am glad I took it. The scenery, ALL of it, was in its own way quite memorable. I do think it helps if you really LIKE trains and I just wish some current US train travel didn't obviously require passengers to overlook so much but given the overall thinking about public transport in the US these days..notice I said "overall" and NOT the prevalent thinking on sites such as this..I suppose we should be grateful we have any train travel opportunities left at all.
Cheers, everyone
This was my frist long distance AMTRAK trip since having taken the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville several years ago. I was hoping for an improved experience over that one and in some ways it happened, and in other ways it didn't.
I flew from my home in Arlington, Va, early on the morning of the 29th; changed in Chicago for the longer segment to PDX. The flights went without a hitch including the trip through TSA-security at Washington National and no complaints.
When I arrived at PDX around 12:30 PM I was able to get right out of the terminal since I had only carry-on luggage and easily found the MAX light rail ticket machine. Since I am now one of the so-called "honored citizens" at age greater than 65 I thought I'd be able to purchase a cheaper ticket from the machine but no luck. Perhaps I am more mechanically challenged than I am willing to admit but I ended up paying the regular fare..and at less than $3.00 for a trip from the airport all the way to Union Station I wasn't about to complain about the price.
The ride in was interesting and smooth although my one change ended up being a little confusing due to what I thought is not the absolutely greatest signage in the system. Overall this is a great way to get downtown and other points from PDX and unlike some major airports in the US, this at least approaches what we have been fortunate enough to experience at an increasing number of US airports and major airports in Europe for years..long, LONG overdue in the US IMO.
I was easily able to scan my reservation receipt at the kiosk in the waiting area of Union Station and made my way into the Metropolitan Lounge. Bear in mind I was WAAAAY early for the 4:45 departure and was greeted in the Lounge by the AMTRAK attendant who, once seeing my ticket, remarked:
"We don't know where it (the westbound Empire Builder) IS [emphasis mine] or when it will get here. We aren't even sure if it WILL get here today." No other explanation offered. No word about anything that might be being done..just a rather snarky smirk on the face and a shrug of the shoulders.
I thought to myself, "How long am I going to give this before I start making hotel reservations for the night and a return airline ticket for tomorrow morning?" I decided, TWO HOURS.....MAX.
In the meanwhile, the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland is pleasant, has plenty of room for luggage storage, has computer access (more on that in a moment), and free juice, coffee...there is a sort of combo snack bar and soiuvenir stand in the station itself..you can buy every conceivable railroad logo T shirt on the planet but nothing that says anything about Portland. I did manage to get a Portland shot glass for a friend who collects them.
There were other sleeping car passengers in the lounge waiting for other long distance trains to depart...the place wasn't crowded. Also in the lounge were several AMTRAK car attendants, etc., who I eventually learned were there to get on the perhaps-departing Empire Builder, too. Unfortunately, one of them decided she absolutely HAD to surf the web on the one available computer and stayed put for at least an hour as she chatted with her what appeared to be boyfriend...another AMTRAK car attendant. i had my own laptop with me so didn't need the one provided but I kept thinking about the "customer service" ethic.
About an hour later the lounge attendant announced that busses had been ordered and secured and that we would be bussed from PDX to Spokane in order to link up with the eastbound EB coming from Seattle. At this time it was also announced that "due to an unfortunate mishap" what remained of the westbound train which had also, "had engine problems," was being towed back to Spokane and that towed portion included the Sightseer Lounge so there wouldn't BE one on this eastbound trip...AT ALL! Apparently there had been some real question as to whether or not AMTRAK could even GET the busses needed but they were eventually secured. We were told the busses would leave at the same time the regular train would have left.
As that time approached, the AMTRAK attendants were hustled out of the Lounge and I gather onto a separate piece of transport equipment..probably a van. The rest of us were led to the front of the station where the busses were waiting and eventually we and all the other train passengers were loaded on and we departed a little after 5:00 PM. Sleeping car passengers were given the cold dinner tray they would normall have gotten on the train. The other passengers got sandwiches from Subway as we began the trip to Spokane.
The scenery as the light slowly faded was interesting along the Columbia and it was fascinating to see the color and topography slowly give way from the pine and fir tree central of northwestern Orgeon to that brown and somewhat less-forested area as you move east. We stayed on the Oregon side of the river for several hours. It was a long and tiring trip and you could see this in the faces of some of the passengers. Oh yes, we did make two smoke stops..after all, some things just cannot be overlooked. It was interesting to talk to some of the folks on the bus. My seatmate was an 18-year-old exchange student from Russia who had some fascinating views on US life, etc., that I enjoyed hearing.
We pulled into Spokane station around 11:30 PM...by this time I had been up for almost 24 hours so was kinda numb. Nothing was said as we piled into the station, no word from any AMTRAK employees, etc. as we seemed to gravitate into a long waiting area in front of the "To Trains" sign..to wait. We did notice those car attendants I had seen in Portland running back and forth in and out of an office on the other side of the "To Trains" doors..I suspect they probably didn't enjoy their own trip east much either.
After about an hour we were able to board. I wasn't sure just where they were coming up with the necessary equipment but to AMTRAK's credit it did so and when we boarded the train seemed ready to go. I was in bedroom C in car #2830 (unmarked on the outside initially but I figured out where it was). The minute I got into the bedroom (the lower was already made up and ready) I more or less put my stuff away and collapsed...ASLEEP instantly...as we pulled slowly out of Spokane. I did notice that the seats were draped with Coast Starlight logo headrest covers so perhaps that's where the equipment came from. Overall, I was happy I hadn't bailed out on this so-far, somewhat usual trip.
Early morning on Friday and I mean about 5 AM (I usually get up around 4 AM for work anyway) I woke up and we are GLIDING along somewhere west of Whitefish...I was able to shave and shower. The shower worked pretty well even though for whatever reason it was not one of those "turns off after 20 seconds" things..either because it wasn't working right or whatever but I was HAPPY and took my usual "Navy shower" and there was PLENTY of hot water and the pressure was decent, too. Just about everything in the bedroom worked...except one of the reading lights wouldn't turn off and the temperature was IMPOSSIBLE to adjust (others in the same car I talked with subsequently had the same complaint) but other than those things and there were fixes for those (no not duct tape but I agree it is always a good thing to have)....such as stuffing one of the provided bath towels into the air vent to keep most of the frigid air out.
I want to make a few subjective comments about cleanliness right here. I thought overall the bedroom was clean enough and I am not one of those people who feels compelled to bring a bottle of Clorox or the wipes or Lysol and wipe everything down. First of all, it shouldnt even be something you have to THINK about doing...I guess these same people do it everywhere they stay...which brings me to my own extensive experience with infectious diseases and all I will say is..wash your hands and you'll probably be OK...enough ranting..I thought the housekeeping in this peice of well-used equipment was fine and I was not about to fear for my life in that regard.
Got to Whitefish more or less on time..nicely BRISK at that time of morning and fun to get off and walk around for a few minutes...Spring seems to just be taking hold in that part of the world and it was nice to see.
Had breakfast in the dining car. The Sightseer Lounge "snack" offerings were vended from one end of the dining car throughout the entire trip by a man who spent a lot of his down time reading newspapers...you kinda had to nudge him to get his attention to sell you something.
Food was quite tasty throughout and the service I thought was good and I'm picky about that having waited on more than a few tables in my lifetime. People I sat with were interesting conversationalists and as I xpected there were more than a few who were on the train because they do not like flying. I heard every POSSIBLE airline horror story EVER from some of these nice folks; I refrained from telling them about a certain recent bus trip complete with addiction-enablement stops.
IMO the scenery in western Montana and on through Glacier Park must be the "highlight" for most folks who take this route. However, I also find the other landscapes, especially when you get as far east as, say, Havre and on into western North Dakota equally compelling if for nothing else than the enormous VASTNESS and few, if any tress, the scrub sage and other vegetation. And there was the usual WIND once we left the mountains. Also and unlike the similar ViaRail "Canadian" trip which I am about to take once again in a couple of weeks, what we still seem to have plenty of in that part of the US is/are GRAIN ELEVATORS which seem to have somewhat disappeared from parts of Prairie Province Canada. These buildings are truly iconic IMO and wonderful to see in their various states of repair. Having grown up in Southern Wyoming I am used to some of this bleak territory but I found myself wondering more than once as we passed through, "How can people live in some of these places?" I can easily answer, too: "No problem, especially if this is what you're used to."
A word about my car attendant. The guy seemed to be going through the motions but he was diligent enough. He finally got the coffee pot in the car to work but we had nothing to stir the coffee with but one learns to make do. I gave him a tip up front and again at the end. I can only imagine the impediments to excellence these people probably have to suffer through.
We were delayed "in the hole" (sidings) very infrequently and I would have to say that the roadbed was for the most part SMOOTH (that ride on the CZ I took a few years ago across southern Iowa HAS to have been the ROUGHEST piece of rairoad I have ever experienced so this was a nice extra). We seem to have been delayed more often so that the westbound EB could pass us and that was twice as I recall.
I had another very restful night across North Dakota and didn't wake up until almost into Detroit Lakes, Mn (about 1 hour late)...those of you who have been there know this is another scenery change..from moonscape to the land of "pines and lofty balsams" and it seemed REALLY green!!! The train kept and actually made up some time in Minnesota and we actually arrived in Chicago only about 30 minutes late.
Overall and despite the challenges I enjoyed this trip and am glad I took it. The scenery, ALL of it, was in its own way quite memorable. I do think it helps if you really LIKE trains and I just wish some current US train travel didn't obviously require passengers to overlook so much but given the overall thinking about public transport in the US these days..notice I said "overall" and NOT the prevalent thinking on sites such as this..I suppose we should be grateful we have any train travel opportunities left at all.
Cheers, everyone
