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I will be taking the Empire Builder from Chicago To Minneapolis/ St. Paul in a few weeks and I was wondering if I could get some reviews of the trip. (service, scenery, etc.)
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Rick -- I too will be riding the Builder (the other direction, though, from Seattle to Chicago) in a couple weeks. I've not been on the train since 1998, but what I can tell you is that it is an all-Superliner train, and has actually been running fairly close to schedule (within 1-2 hrs) the last few weeks. I can't speak for the service, since I have not been on it for a few years, but some parts of the scenery are pretty neat, especailly the part from LaCrosse, WI into the Twin Cities, where the train follows the west bank of the Mississippi River -- taking the train in July will mean that it will still be light as you traverse that area, and you should get some pretty sunsets across the river. Between central Wisconsin and La Crosse, the train passes through some pretty hill country with a lot of bedrock cliffs and buttes visible from the train on either side, especially around Wisconsin Dells. I think you will enjoy the scenery.
F40PHR231 Member # 1350
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The only question that lingers, will I be stranded in Chicago? (I doubt it)
My trip on Empire Builder begins in Portland on July 3rd, arriving to Wisconsin on the 5th.
Much of the scenery includes the beautiful Columbia Gorge, the nice morning sunrise near Glacier Park. The interesting farm lands in North Dakota, with the swampy areas of Mississippi.
The Empire Builder is my all-time favorite route. It was also the first Amtrak route I took back in 1993, and my recent experience in February shows the crew in good spirits.
Will return to Portland on July 13th, leaving Chicago on the 11th. That is, if Amtrak doesn't shut down.
~Chris
RRRICH Member # 1418
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F40PH - I think you mean the swamp lands of Minnesota, not Mississippi!!! (hah!!) --Rich K
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 06-27-2002).]
zephyr Member # 1651
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Last July I rode the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland. At Minot, ND, I was wandering around the station and discovered a rack of free pamphlets published by one of the ND universities. The pamphlets provided route guides through North Dakota, each covering different subjects (such as history, geology, etc. of the area). I found the route guide covering the history of the area very interesting. It summarized the history of the towns, some now totally abandoned, as well as the building of the Great Northern and its importance to the area.
These route guides made the trip through North Dakota very interesting. I wish this type of material was available at more stations, and for other routes.
[This message has been edited by zephyr (edited 06-27-2002).]
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Zephyr - thanks for that tip! I'll have to look for those pamphlets on my trip next week, if they are still there. One of my railroad-related hobbies is to publish a set of similar guides covering all AMTRAK routes -- detailed guides!! (much more detailed than the AMTRAK route guides or even the "Rail Ventures" book) -- the only problem is who would have time to read my detailed guides while they are traveling? I have resources available for my project, and hope to continue it soon -- I use Mountain Press's "Roadside Geology" and "Roadside History" series, plus AAA publications, electronic encyclopedias (Encarta, etc.), geologic maps (I am a geologist by profession), and whatever else I can find. I have draft copies of several route guides at home, which I have been putting together over the last 5 or 6 years.
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 06-27-2002).]
zephyr Member # 1651
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RRRICH--Please let me know if those pamphlets are still available at Minot. Also, I have another research request for you. A friend of mine from Minnesota told me that Minot once heavily advertised for tourists using the slogan "Why Not Minot?" If you come across a Minotian on your travels, would you ask them if that's true. My Minnesota friend has come up with other unkindly remarks about North Dakota like "...the best thing to come out of North Dakota is Interstate 94", so I have some doubts about his veracity concerning the tourism slogan.
Concerning route guides, I encourage you to publish them. I would use it as a pre-travel read, as well as a resource to take with me on the train. I've found reading travelogues by you and others greatly enhances the rail travel experience, and never take a new route without reading several of them in advance. But, by their nature, they can't provide the detail I'd like in well-researched route guide. Do you, or any other forum members, have any leads on the availability of good route guides. If not, RRRICH, get a-crackin' and get them published.
One last question RRRICH--last I looked, your last travelogues on TrainWeb were in 1999. Have you written any since then? If so, where are they posted?
[This message has been edited by zephyr (edited 06-27-2002).]
F40PHR231 Member # 1350
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(F40PH - I think you mean the swamp lands of Minnesota, not Mississippi!!! (hah!!)
HAH your self, I just forgot to exclude the term 'River'. Was real swampy when I rode through during the Mississippi flood of 1993.
And yes, I mean RIVER, not state.
~Chris
Mike Smith Member # 447
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As of May 6, 2002, those tour guides were still in Minot, but I'm betting the 2 feet of snow is gone from East Glacier Park, and Minot is not 24 F.
That was a fun trip, until the Sunset part.......
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Zephyr - yes, I have not posted any travelogues since 1999, since that was my last long train trip -- I used to take trips like this every year, until it got a bit expensive! (I take sleepers on ALL overnight segments)
I'll have another travelogue in July after my trip!
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