DJ K said:
i am in london, england, going travelling in the states this summer for 5 weeks, i need to travel from chicago to glacier park, which is a 30 hour trip!
I'm extremely familiar with this trip, as the Empire Builder is the train I take to visit my parents in North Dakota. As a matter of fact, I'll be on it again most of Saturday and Sunday morning. Of course, it also happens to be my favorite train!
What services and facilities are there on the train?
The Empire Builder, like all western US long distance trains, is set up with the double-decker Superliner cars. It has a dining car, a lounge car, a smoking area in the bottom of one of the coaches. Usually it has three sleepers and four coaches, but may have less depending on demand. The lounge car, called a Sightseer Lounge, has very large windows on the upper level to check out the scenery, and a snack bar in the lower level with snacks, heat and eat foods (mostly sandwiches), and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. I highly recommend having at least one meal in the dining car. Supper is the most expensive, but the quality makes the price quite acceptable, whereas breakfast is much cheaper (and seems to be a better deal). I don't recommend having lunch in the dining car, as it doesn't seem to be all that great for the price.
And also are the seats comfortable and reclinable?
The coach seats are pretty comfortable and do recline pretty well. I would compare them to first-class airline seats, but you actually have more room in coach on the train. For an overnight trip, coach works just fine, especially since you can get up and walk around or hang out in the lounge car anytime you want.
Has anyone been on such a huge journey?
Yes, every time I take the train home. The trip from Portland, Oregon, (which is an endpoint of the Empire Builder) to Williston, North Dakota, is 24 hours on the train.
