Columbia Gorge to Boston and Back - a tale of two different trips

EASTBOUND - 1/11/24

Train 28 was just an hour late at Wishram, which wasn’t bad considering the short turn due to a late 27 arrival in PDX. We had time to go up the hill to the Pastime tavern for a snack and a glass of something cold. We got root beer, but it looked like the tavern keeper had some good beers. Then my friends took me back to the station where I boarded at 7:57pm. MY SCA is Simon, very jovial and helpful.

The weather was dry and calm, and we didn’t lose any more time till Sandpoint, where we left the station and then just sat in place for about an hour and a half. Now over two hours late. I understand we’re lucky to be on a train this week. It’s a winter wonderland outside, but temps are dropping, and Simon said trains are cancelled for several days starting today (there was one more EB running a day behind this one, but I believe they held it in PDX till the weather cleared, which took TEN days). The “feels like” temp at Shelby was 33 degrees below zero. Rumor on Facebook has it that the Chargers up front have been switched out for P-42s. I am going to get out and check at Havre.

For lunch, I opted for the pan-roasted chicken off the children’s menu. It was just-right amount for a small person, and it was simple, clean food. The mashed potatoes were real! They no longer let you have the good desserts at lunch, so I brought my packaged brownie back to my roomette and fixed some herb tea to go with it. I got out and checked the engines at Havre: two P-42s (#15 and 817), and a Charger up front (#313). It was about ten below and snowing lightly but the wind wasn’t blowing, so it didn't feel too bad!

I had no cell service all morning except at larger town stops, but since Browning the signal has mostly been good. I’ve checked my train status, email, and facebook while watching my data usage (I have a prepaid plan with limited data). I went for the earliest dinner at 5:30pm, and ordered the coconut shrimp, salmon, and chocolate mousse cake. For my adult beverage, I had the Cabernet. Everything was delicious, but the dessert was so rich I could barely finish it, even though I had been quite hungry. I was glad the meal had time to "settle" before bedtime.

I slept well, because it was the second night and I was tired. Woke to find we had gained a little time, but we are losing it again now due to technical issues (just announced) with an apparently computerized safety system. We’re currently sitting on a siding about an hour out of St. Paul. Snow blew into the entry foyer through the south side door all the way across the prairies. There was quite a drift there, until Simon got ahold of a bag of salt and put the entire thing on the floor! Now there is a salt mess covered with towels, and salt stains tracked up the stairs I’ve been walking past there to use the restrooms and shower, but VERY carefully.

Train moved along well through MSP, and I had lunch with two of the passengers who had just boarded. With the next three days’ trains cancelled, they and many others had rebooked, filling this one to capacity. We continued to be about three hours late, but are now sitting at the Columbus WI station. They announced over the intercom that an issue with the PTC was preventing the engine from moving, and car power/HEPA just went out. At least the outdoor temp has risen to 30, but it is snowing and blowing outside. After thirty minutes or so, and several power cycles, the train started moving again, at a good clip, and they announced “Milwaukee in an hour.” The LSA came on and announced the dining car was closed, and would stay closed for the rest of the trip. It’s Almost 6pm and I get out a snack of nut mix and an apple. Our train runs well for a few miles and then coasts to a stop again. This time the delay is not quite so long, but the train is jerky and slow, and doesn’t go very far. Then we manage to pick up enough speed to limp into Milwaukee. There is an occasional jerk and the small of burning brakes. Chatter on the EB Facebook group says they will ditch the Charger at Milwaukee. We’ll need a new crew, too. Our SCA bring around some snack packs.

While they were dealing with train matters, the crew also faced a passenger issue. One of the attendants up front called for a conductor and when the response wasn’t prompt enough,she called for Simon saying it was an emergency. He hustled up the snow covered platform, and we heard next that we’d also be waiting for the “local authorities to take away a passenger." I got the story from Simon when he returned. They’d announced the “last smoke break” several stops earlier, but an inebriated passenger thought that since we had stopped for a few minutes he could bully the young female attendant into letting him out for a smoke. When denied, he spewed racial epithets at the attendant as well as another passenger attempting to detrain. He took a swing at the other passenger, the attendant attempted to restrain him, and someone with weight and authority was required to keep him under control until the authorities arrived.

By the time we got to Chicago it was after 1am and I’d had another nap, glad I brought my own fuzzy blanket, as the bed had already been remade for the turn. Amtrak had the agents waiting, and they gave us our papers for food, motel, and rebooking as fast as they could call names and we could walk up to receive the packets. We headed up to the bus, and I was amazed to be taken just across the River a couple blocks to the Hilton Canopy. My room was comfy, and I fell into bed. In the morning, the shower felt wonderful and instead of waiting for the return bus I walked across Wacker and the River bridge back to the station. Checking into the lounge, I looked up the status of the Lake Shore Limited. All systems seemed to be “go” for a reprise of the train I had missed the previous evening, till I got a notification around noon that the train had been cancelled. Seems there was a travel ban in western New York State for the night due to severe weather. There were no seats of any kind available, by any route, to Boston until Monday.

I told the ticket agent not to rebook me until I considered my options. This is the first time Amtrak has completely let me down. I caved, and got a flight for the same evening on Jet Blue. I called AGR from the airport and they agreed to refund my points. It took a couple days, but 19,145 points labeled “good will refund” have appeared back in my account. I also received a voucher for $150 as an "apology" for the late EB.

Great report! I loved reading this while trying to figure out how to post my report. I think we might have been in the lounge at Chicago around the same time, on the 10th. But with each passing day my powers of recollection decline somewhat.

WESTBOUND - 2/9/24

I handed my luggage over to the redcap at the entrance to the Boston Metropolitan Lounge, and walked up the stairs to check in and make myself a cup of tea. Pretty soon the redcap came around and collected his passengers to walk to the train on track 5. He closed the rope behind us as we walked down the platform. I was in the Boston sleeper 4920, roomette #2. My car attendants were Bob, an old hand, and Jose, a trainee. I asked Bob to make up the upper bunk “at your convenience “ and he did so immediately. I pushed it back up out of the way for later. Bob is kind of a complainer, but efficient and appreciative of a considerate passenger.

The train stayed on time till Albany, and passed the on-time 448 just east of Pittsfield. I stayed on the train at Albany and rode the 449 forward and back when we combined with the 49 from NYC. Bob came around while we were stopped, and took dinner orders. He gave me a slip and told me to head back to the diner as soon as the combined train left the station. Dinner was. In the company of the couple across the hall. Everyone else in our car chose to have dinner fetched to their room, instead of traversing the cafe car and five coaches to the diner. After dinner, I read an ebook from my library for a while before pulling the upper bunk back down and turning in for the night. I slept quite well, as I had both mattresses , and it seemed quite cushy!

When I woke up, we were in Toledo, still running right on time, and stayed that way right into CHI. I had a wash-up at the sink in my room, then made tea and got out my home-made granola. The only part of the train breakfast I ordered was yogurt. SCA Bob asked me to sit in Room A while he made up the upper bunk, and afterwards I settled back in to sip my tea and do a Covid test before meeting a friend in Chicago. Pleased to see I’ve avoided contracting any illnesses, especially Covid, during my trip.

I stowed my bags in the luggage room, and went outside to walk around the station till my friend, a Chicago teacher I’d met on a previous Amtrak trip, picked me up to take me out to lunch. She wanted me to try Portillo’s Italian beef sandwiches. I got the dipped beef sandwich with sweet and hot peppers as she recommended. It was delicious but there was enough for two meals, so I cut it in half and wrapped the leftover for my diner. Back to the lounge, I waited for the boarding call. When the line headed for the sleepers, I stepped to the side as directed and joined the coach queue. I was headed to MSP, and had requested lower level coach seating for this leg only. Five of us shared the lower level compartment, which meant we each had a pair of seats to ourselves.

There was a medical emergency at Winona, with assistance called for in the diner and an ambulance meeting the train at the station, but otherwise we kept time quite well - until we didn’t. Between Red Wing and MSP, the train slowed to a stop, then backed up. A freight on a track to our west also came to a stop. About 20 or 25 minutes later, we started moving again. By then it was 11pm, and we were supposed to have been already at the station. I never heard a reason why the train was delayed.

Twenty-four hours later, after a lovely visit with friends and cousins, I was back at the station to board the next Empire Builder. I went up to the lounge to sit, and found I had to descend with my luggage back to ground level, to ask at the Amtrak counter for the door code. The agent looked at the ticket I displayed on my phone’s Amtrak app, and asked if I was SURE I didn’t want a hard copy ticket. I assured him that the conductors had so far been quite capable of scanning the QR code from my phone (and I also found if I opened the app when I had wi-if, the ticket would remain on the screen even if I didn’t have service). In the end, all the conductor wanted was my name, and did not even glance at my phone.

Back upstairs, after three tries, I figured out the proper way to enter the code on the keypad: depress each number key in turn, firmly, until it turns green. Otherwise, the press does not register and the door won’t open. A few minutes later, I opened the door for another passenger who could not figure that out. He displayed the paper with the code to prove he had the right to enter, and I let him in. When the station attendant figured the train was ten minutes out, he came to get us. I had been about to fill my water bottles and use the restroom one last time, and I did so even though the attendant was pressuring me, saying “you can use the restroom on the train.” He was waiting anxiously when I hustled to the room at the top of the escalator with my bags. I sat down with the other sleeper passengers to wait.

And we waited. I got out my phone, and checked the map at asm.transitdocs.com. “Train’s stopped outside town, same place we sat for twenty minutes last night” I announced. A woman said “I hope it comes soon, I need to use the restroom.” I felt a little smug for having taken the extra two minutes. After twenty minutes, I said “train’s moving again” and very shortly, we were boarding.

A three-generation family of six was boarding along with me. The car attendant was busy flipping the family room for them, so I assured him I knew where my room was and didn’t need assistance. He looked relieved, and told me that my bed was put down already. Indeed, he had put both bunks down so I could choose which one I wanted. I flipped the upper one back up, and put the blanket out on the lower. After SCA Larry checked back in with me, I went to bed and was quickly asleep.

In the morning, I had a light breakfast in the diner of oatmeal and chicken sausage, then took a shower. I had a walk on the platform at Minot. At Williston they announced that all passengers would alight and board in a single stop, through the rear sleeper. The train would not be "spotted." For lunch (still in Central time), I had the salad with nuts and goat cheese. About the time we crossed into Montana, I lost cell service for my prepaid Tracfone plan. My phone displayed an “Emergency calls only” notification, and then “no service available.” As we approached the Havre region, my cell service returned. I called Hubby, but the call ended because the train went between some rounded hills and I lost the signal again. Between Havre and Cut Bank, the signal was excellent again.

I went in to dinner at 6pm while we sat in Shelby. It was snowing lightly outside. Again I had the coconut crusted shrimp, salmon dinner, and chocolate mousse cake, all excellent. To drink, I had the Cabernet (which was served in a glass, not a mini bottle), and a sparkling water (which I was disappointed to find was flavored - maybe you have to specify if you want a plain one).

In the night, we went late. We left West Glacier right on time, and arrived at Whitefish two hours and thirteen minutes late. At some point, I awoke and was conscious that we were sitting beside a structure or inside a snowshed. I slept again, and woke up at Spokane. I struggled not to waken too much, and cocooned into my blankets as they disconnected the Seattle section and reconnected our engine. It seemed they were quite expeditious and gentle about it - barely a bump as they backed the new engine into the trainset. And we were off, holding a little over an hour late the rest of the way. In the morning, the conductor said he’d been told it was a disabled freight blocking the single-track just outside of West Glacier.

In the morning, our announcements came back, too. The last one I’d heard at an understandable volume had been at Williston. I’d heard a faint mumble at Shelby at 6pm, and guessed it was time to go in for dinner. I’d wondered at each stop whether everyone was properly warned to get off. Finally, someone got the P.A.system working again. I had taken this route before, so I knew that if I didn’t want the over processed breakfast items in the cafe (“breakfast from the mini mart”), I needed to bring something for myself. I had my own tea and granola, supplemented by the Chobani Greek yogurt they gave me in the cafe. After breakfast, it was time to pack my things up and prepare to detrain. Only an hour and a quarter late, not at all bad!

Photos: boarding in Boston, lowered ice level in a river (North Dakota), and crossing the Columbia Rive at Pasco

Old MM said:

Great report! I loved reading this while trying to figure out how to post my report. I think we might have been in the lounge at Chicago around the same time, on the 10th. But with each passing day my powers of recollection decline somewhat.

Click to expand...

I would have been upstairs at the little workdesk area - a favorite place to sit.

What an adventure! Thank you for the lovely and detailed trip report!

I’m glad you got to visit with so many friends and relatives—both out here in the east and also on the way out and back.

Very nice detailed report. You seem to take most things in your stride, a favourable mindset for all travel!