Empire Builder in Winter

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Excited Guest

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I am taking the Empire Builder with my husband and 2-year old from Portland To Minneapolis about a week before Christmas for the holiday season (and we're taking it back home as well). I've had a lot of comments from people who think we're crazy for using that as our source of transportation. I don't fly well and have always wanted to take a train trip, and our 2-year old son loves trains so we thought he'd have a lot of fun on the trip. We have a bedroom (it will be nice to have a place to put our two year old when he needs a nap or decides to throw tantrums...he is 2) and the trip is approximately 36-40 hours (2 nights, 2 partial days, 1 full day). I think it sounds like a lot of fun and I think the views will be incredible. We won't be in a huge rush, so I'm not really concerned about the train being late...if it's later than 12 hours it might get a little frustrating, but a 4,6,8 hour delay doesn't bother me (as long as we're still able to use our room....or do they boot you out early to clean it for the next riders?).

However I've heard rumors of trains being "snow-bound" and that it happens quite regularly in the winter. Should we be prepared to stay on the train for 2 extra days (I'm sure this is extreme)? If we are snow-bound, will the train still have heat, or will we get cold? Should we bring a couple of blankets with us? Should we bring lots of extra food or will the dining car be able to continue feeding us?

We've never traveled via train before, so we're not really sure what to expect. I think it sounds like a lot of fun, but the people we've talked so have started to make me worry we're crazy for doing this. So, I thought I'd ask some experienced riders. We're not concerned with the train being late, the train travel is part of our vacation and we plan on it being very enjoyable.

One last questions...are there ice machines or places to store cold items? Our son is lactose-intolerant and I don't expect the dining car to carry lactose free milk, so we were going to bring some in a small cooler for our son.

Okay...thank you everyone!
 
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The train may be snowbound, but that s really a thing of the past and of lore! Besides, I would rather be snowbound on a train with heat, water and food, than to be snowbound (or even driving) in a car with none of those. And remember that this route is a very busy line for BNSF (the host railroad) especially with the ND oil felds. So they will do everything possible to keep the line open.

As far as a cooler, I would recommend that you bring your own supply, and a small collapse able type of cooler. You can get ice on the train to fill the cooler. Federal health regulations say that Amrak can not store or heat any personal passenger foods or medicines.
 
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I think you will have a great trip! The weather outside might be frightful, but on a train is so delightful, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
 
I think the Traveler is right...l you have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to.

Elsewhere in the forums there are very useful threads on what to bring; what to anticipate...

Enjoy!
 
Hello fellow Oregonian! I've been on the Empire Builder several times in winter, including snowstorms in the Rockies and 40 below zero in North Dakota, but I've never been snowbound or even heard of it happening. The worst snowstorm I encountered was on the Lake Shore Limited between upstate New York and Chicago. There were snowdrifts in the walkways between the cars, and the drain in our shower froze so water wouldn't run out, but otherwise, the train went right on through, on-time. It was more of an adventure than anything else, and I second the notion above that I'd much rather be looking out at the weather from a nice, warm train, than trying to drive through it and having to get out in the cold to stay the night, eat a meal, or even use a restroom!!

As for taking an extra blanket, I am going on the EB next month, and decided to take one of those cheap little fleece throws with me. The car is usually plenty warm, even at night, but there have been one or two times that I wished for just a little more. If the train is not full-up, the car attendant can always rustle up another blanket for you, though, and you probably already have plenty to carry.

Don't worry, they do not kick you out of your room until your stop. There are times when the room may be re-booked right from the same stop. If so, you may find the attendant will make the beds up with clean linens for the next person while you are at breakfast and they are putting them up for the day anyway (both mattresses with linens are put up top for the day, and then the top bunk latched up), This will not in any way affect your occupancy, but makes it more convenient for the attendant at the changeover (all they have to do then is empty the trash, and change the pillowcases as the pillows stay out for your use during the day).

I have been on the EB when it was so late getting in to CHI that an extra dinner was needed. They put the extra on in Minneapolis, and even fed us in coach (do they still do that? I haven't gone coach for a long time...), but it was pretty spartan. Nobody starved. Getting off in Minneapolis, you should be just fine. Hey, have a great trip! You will love it!
 
You have exactly the right attitude-Take it as an adventure, and be flexible. As long as you can stand delays (because they do happen, especially in winter) and go with the flow, it's a great ride. I took the Builder from Chicago to Minot winter before last, and had a great trip out. The return, was 19 hours late though, I ended up flying back, as I couldn't be that flexible......had to be back in Chicago for meetings. But, that was a pretty extreme situation due to an unusual blizzard for the area. Go ahead, have a ball.
 
Excited Guest said:
One last questions...are there ice machines or places to store cold items? Our son is lactose-intolerant and I don't expect the dining car to carry lactose free milk, so we were going to bring some in a small cooler for our son.

Okay...thank you everyone!
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:hi: Welcome! The Diner does have Soy Milk available upon request but not being a food expert not sure if that would serve your needs?? As was said, you would be well served to have a small cooler and carry Lactose Free Milk with you! Your Sleeping Car Attendant will be able top provide ice for the cooler either right in your Sleeping car oir from the Diner or Cafe! This is an excellent Trip and Memories are made of this! Gllad to hear we have another Young Train fan and it doesnt hurt to add "older" ones like you and your husband! Dont hesitate to ask questions on this Forum, we have lots of knowledgable folks, some of what well tell you is even True! :lol:
 
Excited Guest said:
However I've heard rumors of trains being "snow-bound" and that it happens quite regularly in the winter. Should we be prepared to stay on the train for 2 extra days (I'm sure this is extreme)? If we are snow-bound, will the train still have heat, or will we get cold? Should we bring a couple of blankets with us? Should we bring lots of extra food or will the dining car be able to continue feeding us?
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I have no idea where this "regularly snowbound" came from. I would not worry about that one at all. It will be moving when nothing else is. The main problem with heavy snow is getting people to the train for crew changes, etc. The last snowbound I can think of occurred in the Sierra in the vicinity of Donner Pass, where it was caught in huge snow drifts in an all but inacessible location, and that one was about 50 years after the previous well publicised case of a train being snowbound which was in a few miles of the same location.
 
I do remember that the reason that long-ago train was so late into Chicago (at least 5 hours, LOL!) was that it got late right at the start, when there was one of those infamous week-before-Thanksgiving Pacific storms. All of the switches between Pasco and Spokane were iced-up, and the train had to stop at every single one so the crew could get out, break the ice off it, and throw it by hand. Spokane was white and silent, power was out over half the city. If you had been driving, you would not have been going anywhere, but the train was merely late, and we made up a lot of time later on in the trip. One advantage to being late was it was well into morning before we cleared the Rockies, a beautiful sight in the snow!
 
Well, I am crazier than you. I am taking the Builder on 12/19 from Everett, WA to Chicago and going on to Indianapolis for the same reasons. So not only am I going the entire route, but have a connection in Chicago to boot (which I know I stand a good chance of not making). Just to note, I do use the train for basic transportation when I can, not just for special train rides, and this trip is an example of it.

Trains don't get snowbound. As other posters have pointed out, the last occurance of a passenger train getting stuck in the snow was the City of San Francisco in Donner Pass back in the 50s. Chances are virtually nil. Chances of getting delayed are pretty good, however. On one trip on the Builder, I hit the jackpot: frozen switches, crews not in position, broken rails, and an ice storm bringing down the code line so the signals failed. We were 12 hours late to Chicago, but we got there.

You have the right attitude to enjoy train travel, so you'll enjoy it.
 
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In FEB 2008 2 California Zephyr sets were stranded in Donner Pass during a heavy storm when a UP plow derailed blocking the rails. It took a while to find rescue buses as most of the ones in the area had been chartered for the Super Bowl.
 
Amtrak is 100% more reliable in snow & ice then airlines are. You WILL get there, you may be late, ,but you will get there. PS- my tardiness record is on the Builder.. 19 hours due to toilets and everything else freezing up all the way across North Dakota. But nothing else was moving out on the frozen tundra except us and a few wayward freights.
 
I've been taking the Empire Builder in the winter for more than thirty years (I grew up in North Dakota, lived in Chicago, and now after several other moves live in St. Paul), and I agree with others that as long as you understand that the train might be late, and that you have to be patient (but it will always be warm and they will find some way to feed you, since you're traveling in a sleeper), it should be a great adventure.

In any case, while the train can be late, other modes of travel can fail in the winter too, and occasionally the train really comes through. Christmas 2009 was one of those times:

On the day after Christmas 2009, I took the Empire Builder from Minot, ND, to St. Paul, MN. This was after a three-day blizzard that had:

a) closed the interstates across the entire state (that means that physical gates were literally closed across the lanes),

b) closed the Minot airport to any travel,

c) closed the Minot air force base, so that the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force had to ride a snowplow down to the train station to catch the train,

d) led the state highway patrol to recommend no travel anywhere in the state; and

e) forced me to walk to the depot, since there was no getting a car through the 4-5 foot snowdrifts across the streets. Yes, while it's always a bad sign when the county calls in the plows in a storm, it's really a bad sign when the city does.

And the Empire Builder?

The Empire Builder (approximately the only thing moving in the state) was 45 minutes late, powered by three Amtrak locomotives led by a huge orange and green BNSF locomotive with a snowplow. After we boarded, the conductor said to be careful walking about, as the train would accordion when it muscled through the person-high snow drifts. We lost another hour overnight between Minot and St. Paul, but only because the BNSF freight locomotive was limited in its speed, I was told. My roomette was overheated, as usual, and the next morning the coffee was hot and strong, and the pancakes and bacon were as good as ever.

We're going to my wife's family in DC for Christmas this year, but we are traveling Portland-St. Paul in January. I'm not even vaguely concerned.
 
Wow, this is great! Thank you everyone for your input, experiences, and advice. At this point I'm even more happy we decided to travel by train. Like I said, the train travel is part of our vacation...not just travel days. Lots of relaxing...not doing laundry, dishes, and cooking. Knowing there is soy milk, ice, and heat....we've got nothing to worry about. Again, delays aren't going to phase me....it might mean I get to sleep later on the morning we're supposed to get off of the train!

Thank you again!
 
I'd also like to point out that the friends that think you're "crazy" to take a train have probably never been on a long distance train themselves. One of the nicest things about taking trains is that you get to meet, talk with, sit down and have a meal with, others like you who think taking a train is a reasonable way to travel, a good way to see the countryside, and a fun way to spend a vacation. You may never see these people again (though I have met some life-long friends on trains), but they will enrich your lives.
 
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