Riding the Rails on the Empire Builder to Seattle (Pictures)

I'd been toying with the idea of a cross-country (half country) rail journey for the past year when in January 2009 I booked a trip on Amtrak's Empire Builder with the destination (from Chicago) of Seattle, WA. It was a short trip over the Memorial Day weekend - leaving Chicago Friday afternoon 5/22, arriving in Seattle Sunday the 24th and returning to Chicago by air Monday the 25th. The purpose of the trip was to ride the train, not to see or explore Seattle - though after a 25-year absence since my last visit my short one-day stay this trip convinced me I need to get back to Seattle for a longer period of time.

There probably are participants here on LTH that are better versed in the Amtrak "food issues" than I and on rail-fan websites food service, particularly dining room service, is a frequent topic of discussion. What I experienced during my 46-hour journey was what I expected, maybe better than I expected.





Dinner Salad



Roast Half Chicken



Key Lime Pie/Cake



Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Patty, Hash Browns, Croissant



Angus Burger (Cheeseburger sans the roll)



Flat Iron Steak



Service in the Dining room was excellent and a highlight of each meal was meeting new people with whom I was seated. School teachers, railroad worker wives, elderly reliving times long past and a rancher who grows wheat which people with wheat allergies can safely eat and which he sells, mostly, to European food-item producers.

In addition to the three daily meals which were included in my sleeper fare there was a generous-portions Wisconsin cheese and Washington State wine tasting event, free of charge to "first-class" passengers . . . and a seemingly non-stop supply of hot-from-the-oven oatmeal/raisin cookies passed among passengers in my car by a 29-year veteran car attendant.

I so enjoyed this short trip I plan to make others in the future.

Bill, great post, thanks for sharing your trip!

Out of curiosity, how do you think Amtrak would do with a "free feeder" that doesn't stick to scheduled meal times? The Picky Eater and I have been contemplating a trip much like your own, but I eat at odd times of the day.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are available in the Dining Car on the Empire Builder in approx. 2-hour blocks of time each, if this information helps with your thought process. Passengers may also take advantage of "Café " (or "Deli") offerings on the lower level of the observation car and though I didn't sample the menu there I believe sandwiches, sweet rolls, beverages, etc. are available - from early morning until approx. 11 p.m. I exited the train at most of the stops, even the very short ones, and I saw no viable options for food purchases . . . with the exception of maybe a soft drink and bag of potato chips. I noted that some passengers - particularly those riding in the Coach car - brought sandwiches and other snack and beverage items with them. Other Amtrak routes are likely to have better 'off train' / in the stations food options than does the Empire Builder.

Thanks for the pictures. Myself, I've always been a train guy. Even just the piddly commute between Chicago and Champaign, back when I had to split time between the two cities, could be so pleasant just having a beer and bagel in the snack car.

I rode the Empire Builder roundtrip about 5 – 6 years ago. It was very exciting. I was in a roomette. This is a small sleeper, but very adequate for one. A highlight was getting breakfast in bed while we were running through the Great Plains. I had a big window next to my bed and it seemed like we were doing about 100 mph.

One of joys of having a sleeper is you are considered first class and you may bring an adult beverage on board and consume it in your room. Your steward will bring you ice and glasses (plastic).

I agree with you on the pleasure of the whole experience, especially meeting people during dining. I have usually always enjoyed the conversations. Taking a shower on board can be interesting. Just make sure you ask your attendant for an extra towel.

Oh, sleeping car riders are considered first class and as Bill said your meals are included. When I rode that meant anything off of the menu plus a dessert for lunch and dinner, soft drinks were included, but not beer or wine. The food in the snack car has to be purchased even by first class passengers.

D.

dodger wrote:I had a big window next to my bed and it seemed like we were doing about 100 mph.

I made this trip with my laptop loaded with Microsoft Streets & Trips software which was connected to a GPS receiver that allowed me to view my position at all times and to know, with some reasonable certainty, the speed at which we were traveling, the elevations, etc. 8 to 10 satellites were bouncing-back the information. The fastest we traveled seemed to be 81 m.p.h., though the car attendant told me the maximum speed on the route was 79 m.p.h. per Amtrak operating guidelines. I doubt I'll make such a long-distance trip in the future without the GPS/laptop companionship - it was a major contributor to my enjoyment.

dodger wrote:A highlight was getting breakfast in bed while we were running through the Great Plains.

Yes, that is one of the other nice things about traveling in the sleeping car: the option of having meals in the Dining Car, or having the car attendant provide "room service."

dodger wrote:One of joys of having a sleeper is you are considered first class and you may bring an adult beverage on board and consume it in your room. Your steward will bring you ice and glasses (plastic).

I brought a bottle of wine with me for the first night, and many other sleeping car passengers I spoke with were traveling with their own liquor supply - particularly so those who regularly ride the rails. After the wine and cheese-tasting event guests were invited to purchase full bottles of wine (the restaurant sold two-glass bottles for consumption with meals) and I did that and I was permitted to bring that bottle back and forth into the Dining Car at my pleasure. The sleeping car attendant was very gracious and made certain the ice storge bin was full and she periodically came around to see if anyone wanted a fresh supply.

dodger wrote:Taking a shower on board can be interesting. Just make sure you ask your attendant for an extra towel.

My roomette was supplied with two wash cloths and two face towels, and the shower compartment seemed to always be stocked with a dozen or more bath-sized towels. Though small in size, I didn't have any difficulty maneuvering in the shower - and I stand 6'2" tall.

I've always wanted to do this, Bill - thanks for letting me live vicariously through your post.

We did this trip last summer with two kids under 5. We brought our own cooler and there was plenty of ice available to keep our drinks cold. We missed the wine and cheese party as the infamous floods delayed our departure time and the train did not stock up in Chicago. The food was really good and the service friendly and efficient. We had two sleepers and IIRC we had first crack at the dining times. The desserts were really good and I had a steak dinner that was decent. The burgers were really good and my eggs perfectly cooked. I was able to meet the chef and caught a glimpse of the kitchen below the dining car-amazing. Because our trip did not start out at Chicago (the midwest floods in the Dells and Iowa) the whole train took buses to Minneapolis MN-so the typical stocked food was not available. Despite all of this we had a ball and would do it again.