Starlight and EB, here I come!

[saxman]

Well, as you may know I just returned from a spontanious CZ trip, and now I'm going again to experience the new and improved Empire Builder.

In using stashed up Guest Reward points I will go from LAX to PDX and onto Grand Forks.

Using the last of my AA passes, I will fly from Minneapolis probably to DFW to visit the parents, then fly to LAX the next day and stay with my cousin that night, and catch the morning CS from there. My departure date is August 12 from LA.

One question:

Seeing how the CS is always at least many many hours late into PDX, what do they usually do with connections. Bus us from Eugene to catch us up? Have us spend the night in PDX? I'd rather spend the night, then ride a bus. I have an extra day.

Chris

 

[Trogdor]

If the connection is close, they will either hold the Builder or bus you from somewhere in Oregon. If the train is so late that not even a bus will catch up, then they will put you in a hotel in Portland and reaccommodate you.

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

Often, if they have to bus Starlate passengers, they'll pull them off at Klamath Falls and send them up US 97 to Wishram. Unfortunately, that means that these passengers miss both the Cascades crossing and most of the Columbia Gorge.

I have seen cross-platform transfers between the CS and the Builder. The CS was running about an hour late, so it showed up in Portland about the time the Builder was ready to depart. They did hold the Builder long enough for the passengers and luggage transfering to get off of #14 and on to #28. Of course, we still arrived in Spokane on time.

 

[Trogdor]

I have seen cross-platform transfers between the CS and the Builder. The CS was running about an hour late, so it showed up in Portland about the time the Builder was ready to depart. They did hold the Builder long enough for the passengers and luggage transfering to get off of #14 and on to #28. Of course, we still arrived in Spokane on time.

This happened to me in January. Train 28 wound up leaving Portland about a half hour late. Not that it mattered, though.

I'm not sure what time we got into Spokane, as I was sound asleep, and didn't wake up until about 4:30 am, when we were still in Spokane (scheduled departure around 12:30 or 1:00). The Seattle section was late getting in.

All told, we were about 10 hours late into Milwaukee.