Dirk
Train Attendant
I'm a bit tardy on doing a proper trip report, however better late than never! My wife and I recently rode the Empire Builder (#7) west from Fargo, ND on December 22 all the way to Seattle.
The train arrived nearly right on time in Fargo (which means in the middle of the night - 3:35am). However, the sheer number of passengers boarding in Fargo caused us to depart over 20 minutes late. The ticket agent estimated that about 90 people were boarding, which for Fargo is a rarity. Other times I've taken the #7 from Fargo there have seldom been more than 10 people boarding.
Things were slightly chaotic on the platform area, but we were directed to the gentlemen handling the boarding for sleeping car passengers. As this was my first long-distance ride on the train, I wanted the full experience and sprung for the bedroom. We were pointed in the right direction and told to simply "make ourselves comfortable" once we found our bedroom. I kind of figured there would be a bit more direction than that, but we found our car and room without issue. Not wanting to miss our first meal on the train the next morning, we retired almost immediately, but not before taking some photos of the room.
Getting Situated on the Train
Sleeping on the train was a bit of a challenge for me the first night. The rails between Fargo and Minot do not provide the smoothest ride. Rather than a gentle rocking like I expected, it was more a violent jarring. My wife, on the other hand, had no problem sleeping through it all, so perhaps I was just too excited to be on the train. Eventually, I managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up near Rugby, ND.
Judging by the number of people boarding the night before, I figured the train (and dining car) would be full. That was an understatement. There wasn't a seat available at 8am - completely full. I put my name down on the waiting list and was told it'd be 5 or 10 minutes before something would open up. No matter, I was in no hurry as I had no where I had to be. I was merely along for the ride.
Finally, we heard our names over the PA and made our way back to the diner. We were seated with a nice man who was heading out to Portland. He ran a small heating company back in my hometown (Minot, ND) and it turned out we knew a lot of the same people. Just goes to show that you never quite know who you are going to meet on Amtrak.
Breakfast was good and filling. I had pancakes and bacon, which surprised me. I expected something rubbery and barely edible, but instead it was something I'd expect to get at a good cafe or truck stop. Amtrak one-ups the cafe, though. I've yet to be in a cafe that gives me a view like Amtrak.
After breakfast, we headed back to our room. I had my Verizon Aircard with and was able to check my email and tend to some minor work related issues. Obviously the point of the trip wasn't to work, yet it was still nice to be able to stay on top of things - something that I could not have (legally) done on an airplane.
It was nice to just sit back and watch the scenery roll by in the comfort of our own area. I regularly drive Highway 2 in ND for work, but seeing nearly the same area from the rails gave me a brand-new perspective. Our car attendant periodically checked in on us and made sure we had everything we needed. I forget her name off the top of my head, but I know I have it in my notes somewhere.
We ended up just kind of sitting around until lunch rolled around, when we headed back to the dining car. This time, we lucked out and got sat right away - probably because we missed last call, but the staff was nice enough to seat us. We sat with a couple who had been aboard since Chicago and were heading out to see family in Portland. We spent most of the time trying to convince them that North Dakota did in fact have people and that we didn't have woodchippers in Fargo. They were pretty amazed to actually meet people from Fargo, but were disappointed we didn't have accents like they expected. Lunch was good - everyone at the table had the sandwich special (turkey on ciabatta style bread). The bread was a bit on the dry side, but overall it was good.
Riding Through Western North Dakota
We thought about heading to the lounge car for a while, but were told by other passengers it was pretty hard to find a seat anywhere. Instead, we bummed around our room and I apparently fell asleep. I have no recollection of this other than photos my wife took of me. I had no problem sleeping through the rocking of the train this time. While I was out cold, I guess somebody came around to get dinner reservations. She took the 8:30pm time, since she figured this would allow us to take our time and enjoy.
I decided I had enough of sleeping and woke up somewhere east of Havre, MT. At this point, we had been on the train for almost 12 hours and I needed to get off for a while and stretch my legs. I also took the opportunity to get some photos of the train.
Day 1 on the Train
After Havre, I spent more time just relaxing and enjoying the view. The only bad thing about taking #7/27 this time of the year is the fact that it gets dark, quickly. By the time we pulled into Shelby, the sun was virtually gone. This meant that we wouldn't have a very good view of Glacier Park or the mountains. Instead, my wife and I played some board games we brought along and just enjoyed each other's company.
Our dinner reservation got called just outside of West Glacier. On the way to the dining car, our car attendant asked if we'd like our beds made up - which was a nice touch. I can say we never had to ask her for anything, she just had it from the get go or got to us before we could ask.
By this time, the dining car was just about empty, with maybe only 10 people left. We were seated with two, wonderful older ladies from Western North Dakota. We talked local politics, why we were heading west and if we had met anybody interesting on the train. These two ladies were an absolute riot.
Their children had paid for the tickets to come out and see them in Portland. Because of this, their logic was that they could spend the money they would have spent on tickets on "refreshments" instead. Now, I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with old German ladies, but let's just say they can hold their own. They may have had about 65-70 years on me, but I guarantee they could out drink me any day of the week. They and the LSA (I think his name was Dean?) had us rolling in our seats. The entire staff of the dining car that evening was so much fun, telling jokes, sharing stories and just making us feel like we were genuinely appreciated guests on the train.
Dinner was amazing. I had the holiday special, which was a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. My wife had a steak, which she ordered medium-rare. We were both completely unsure of what to expect. Turkey dinner and steak do not belong on something going 79 mph. The logic of this just doesn't work. But, both meals were pulled off quite well. The steak was prepared exactly as she asked, though the edge was a bit tough. My turkey dinner was good - stuffing was moist, vegetables were still nice and crisp and the turkey was incredibly tender. Desert was even better. Everyone at the table had some sort of peanut butter chocolate pie concoction. Whatever it was it was pretty good, albeit almost sickeningly sweet.
I was sad for dinner to end, as we had such a good time with our new friends. But, we headed back to our room and hit the sack. Our attendant offered us a wake up call, but we decided we'd sleep in a bit on the last day of our journey. And this time, I had no problem sleeping as I didn't wake up until almost Everett, Washington.
The last part of the ride was absolutely beautiful. The mountains were veiled in a thin layer of fog that seemed to part as the train went through. It was quite the view. I took some video as we made the last leg of the trip into Seattle from the mountains and along the Puget Sound.
From the Cascades to Puget Sound
We arrived at King Street Station slightly ahead of schedule. Our journey on Amtrak was over, but our time in Seattle was just beginning.
Seattle's Elliot Bay (not train related, but boat related!)
The train arrived nearly right on time in Fargo (which means in the middle of the night - 3:35am). However, the sheer number of passengers boarding in Fargo caused us to depart over 20 minutes late. The ticket agent estimated that about 90 people were boarding, which for Fargo is a rarity. Other times I've taken the #7 from Fargo there have seldom been more than 10 people boarding.
Things were slightly chaotic on the platform area, but we were directed to the gentlemen handling the boarding for sleeping car passengers. As this was my first long-distance ride on the train, I wanted the full experience and sprung for the bedroom. We were pointed in the right direction and told to simply "make ourselves comfortable" once we found our bedroom. I kind of figured there would be a bit more direction than that, but we found our car and room without issue. Not wanting to miss our first meal on the train the next morning, we retired almost immediately, but not before taking some photos of the room.
Getting Situated on the Train
Sleeping on the train was a bit of a challenge for me the first night. The rails between Fargo and Minot do not provide the smoothest ride. Rather than a gentle rocking like I expected, it was more a violent jarring. My wife, on the other hand, had no problem sleeping through it all, so perhaps I was just too excited to be on the train. Eventually, I managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up near Rugby, ND.
Judging by the number of people boarding the night before, I figured the train (and dining car) would be full. That was an understatement. There wasn't a seat available at 8am - completely full. I put my name down on the waiting list and was told it'd be 5 or 10 minutes before something would open up. No matter, I was in no hurry as I had no where I had to be. I was merely along for the ride.
Finally, we heard our names over the PA and made our way back to the diner. We were seated with a nice man who was heading out to Portland. He ran a small heating company back in my hometown (Minot, ND) and it turned out we knew a lot of the same people. Just goes to show that you never quite know who you are going to meet on Amtrak.
Breakfast was good and filling. I had pancakes and bacon, which surprised me. I expected something rubbery and barely edible, but instead it was something I'd expect to get at a good cafe or truck stop. Amtrak one-ups the cafe, though. I've yet to be in a cafe that gives me a view like Amtrak.
After breakfast, we headed back to our room. I had my Verizon Aircard with and was able to check my email and tend to some minor work related issues. Obviously the point of the trip wasn't to work, yet it was still nice to be able to stay on top of things - something that I could not have (legally) done on an airplane.
It was nice to just sit back and watch the scenery roll by in the comfort of our own area. I regularly drive Highway 2 in ND for work, but seeing nearly the same area from the rails gave me a brand-new perspective. Our car attendant periodically checked in on us and made sure we had everything we needed. I forget her name off the top of my head, but I know I have it in my notes somewhere.
We ended up just kind of sitting around until lunch rolled around, when we headed back to the dining car. This time, we lucked out and got sat right away - probably because we missed last call, but the staff was nice enough to seat us. We sat with a couple who had been aboard since Chicago and were heading out to see family in Portland. We spent most of the time trying to convince them that North Dakota did in fact have people and that we didn't have woodchippers in Fargo. They were pretty amazed to actually meet people from Fargo, but were disappointed we didn't have accents like they expected. Lunch was good - everyone at the table had the sandwich special (turkey on ciabatta style bread). The bread was a bit on the dry side, but overall it was good.
Riding Through Western North Dakota
We thought about heading to the lounge car for a while, but were told by other passengers it was pretty hard to find a seat anywhere. Instead, we bummed around our room and I apparently fell asleep. I have no recollection of this other than photos my wife took of me. I had no problem sleeping through the rocking of the train this time. While I was out cold, I guess somebody came around to get dinner reservations. She took the 8:30pm time, since she figured this would allow us to take our time and enjoy.
I decided I had enough of sleeping and woke up somewhere east of Havre, MT. At this point, we had been on the train for almost 12 hours and I needed to get off for a while and stretch my legs. I also took the opportunity to get some photos of the train.
Day 1 on the Train
After Havre, I spent more time just relaxing and enjoying the view. The only bad thing about taking #7/27 this time of the year is the fact that it gets dark, quickly. By the time we pulled into Shelby, the sun was virtually gone. This meant that we wouldn't have a very good view of Glacier Park or the mountains. Instead, my wife and I played some board games we brought along and just enjoyed each other's company.
Our dinner reservation got called just outside of West Glacier. On the way to the dining car, our car attendant asked if we'd like our beds made up - which was a nice touch. I can say we never had to ask her for anything, she just had it from the get go or got to us before we could ask.
By this time, the dining car was just about empty, with maybe only 10 people left. We were seated with two, wonderful older ladies from Western North Dakota. We talked local politics, why we were heading west and if we had met anybody interesting on the train. These two ladies were an absolute riot.
Their children had paid for the tickets to come out and see them in Portland. Because of this, their logic was that they could spend the money they would have spent on tickets on "refreshments" instead. Now, I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with old German ladies, but let's just say they can hold their own. They may have had about 65-70 years on me, but I guarantee they could out drink me any day of the week. They and the LSA (I think his name was Dean?) had us rolling in our seats. The entire staff of the dining car that evening was so much fun, telling jokes, sharing stories and just making us feel like we were genuinely appreciated guests on the train.
Dinner was amazing. I had the holiday special, which was a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. My wife had a steak, which she ordered medium-rare. We were both completely unsure of what to expect. Turkey dinner and steak do not belong on something going 79 mph. The logic of this just doesn't work. But, both meals were pulled off quite well. The steak was prepared exactly as she asked, though the edge was a bit tough. My turkey dinner was good - stuffing was moist, vegetables were still nice and crisp and the turkey was incredibly tender. Desert was even better. Everyone at the table had some sort of peanut butter chocolate pie concoction. Whatever it was it was pretty good, albeit almost sickeningly sweet.
I was sad for dinner to end, as we had such a good time with our new friends. But, we headed back to our room and hit the sack. Our attendant offered us a wake up call, but we decided we'd sleep in a bit on the last day of our journey. And this time, I had no problem sleeping as I didn't wake up until almost Everett, Washington.
The last part of the ride was absolutely beautiful. The mountains were veiled in a thin layer of fog that seemed to part as the train went through. It was quite the view. I took some video as we made the last leg of the trip into Seattle from the mountains and along the Puget Sound.
From the Cascades to Puget Sound
We arrived at King Street Station slightly ahead of schedule. Our journey on Amtrak was over, but our time in Seattle was just beginning.
Seattle's Elliot Bay (not train related, but boat related!)
