All Things Empire Builder

Group,
I went out to fan the Empire Builder's first Service Enhancement run and I was able to go out on the platform on CUS early with permission and got the consist; also I went to Glenview to see it.

Consists; Train 7(21):

130
202
1231
39024
32041
32052
38050
34117
34138
33035
34114
31013
32048
31015

Train 8(19):

157
178
Baggage Didn't Catch
39015
32067
32017
38059
34111
31025
33044
34134
31023
32016
31040
Private Car Puget Sound

Puget Sound had been parked at Pittsburgh's Penn Station for some time, along with an Ohio Central business car, Sugarcreek.

I found some great interior photos of sleeper 32016 on the NARP website.

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/r ... /newsuper/

That is the cleanest amtrak bathroom I have ever seen. That car looks nice. I hope the rest of the superliner fleet gets the overhaul in a timely manner. Thanks for posting that link

I'm a big outdoors fan as well as train fan. I'm wondering if there is a way to put these two together this fall and do the Empire Builder route and camp/hike somewhere along the route. I have no clue if this is possible without a car, but if anyone knows anything good let me know--(i wont be able to rent a car either). thanks a lot-

jon

On my empire builder trip , i got off at glacier park station ( im pretty sure , possibly it was browning ) , and biked to a national park campground nearby . I recall it was short bike ride , so youd be able to walk it in maybe 1/2 to 1 hour max . I dont recall if you could see the trains from there , but you could certainly walk back to watch trains .

David Benton wrote: On my empire builder trip , i got off at glacier park station ( im pretty sure , possibly it was browning ) , and biked to a national park campground nearby . I recall it was short bike ride , so youd be able to walk it in maybe 1/2 to 1 hour max . I dont recall if you could see the trains from there , but you could certainly walk back to watch trains.

Having lived just outside Glacier Park from 2000-2003, the best bet would be West Glacier (Belton), as the railroad at that point is nearly the boundary of the park. Simply walk down the embankment to the south (to U.S. 2), then walk west to the underpass (the train will stop partially atop the underpass), walk north through the underpass and you are in Apgar Village. There are a number of stores, a gas station, post office, the Alberta Provincial Visitor's Centre (yes, even though if you go straight north at this point about 70 or 80 miles you would be in British Columbia). Keep going north and in about a mile or so you'll reach the entrance station. Further up the road is the junction of Going-to-the-Sun Road and Inside North Fork Road. Turn left (onto Inside North Fork Road), then you'll have access to the Apgar visitor's center, several stores and camping stores, restaurants, and Fish Creek Campground.

Very nice campground, BTW.

If you travel east on Going to the Sun Road, the next nearest campgrounds (located directly off the road without hiking in) are Sprague Creek and Avalanche Creek. They are smaller than Fish Creek and I believe are first-come-first-served; however they are also open during the "off season" before the park is snowed in. Fish Creek, when I was there, was closed shortly after Labor Day.

http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

The station at West Glacier is a bookstore operated by one of the Glacier Park associations and is not used for railroad purposes; in fact I believe it won't even be open at the train arrivals. Belton Chalet is located right across Highway 2 (watch for traffic, the speed limit is really 45, but with 70 MPH zones just west and east!), and supposedly has a good restaurant (kept meaning to go, never did...)

East Glacier (a.k.a. Glacier Park Station) is a seasonal stop, and the station itself is a museum. Just north of the station is the Glacier Park Lodge, one of many magnificent lodges built by a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railroad. However the park boundary is several miles to the northwest. In the winter, East Glacier is closed and replaced with a stop at Browning, which is a former station now mostly used as a BNSF maintenance shed. It is also outside the actual town of Browning.

You could also go to Essex (where the Izaac Walton Inn is), and just stay at the Inn, they offer various park tours as part of packages. (I believe the Belton Chalet also does the same.)

On a historical note, the Izaac Walton Inn was NEVER a "chalet" or "lodge" built for Glacier National Park or preceding the park's formation; it was built as a railroad bunkhouse. It just happens to be built in a similar style due to its location. Never the less, it is a magnificent structure, and while I never got to spend the night there I have been to the restaurant several times, very impressive!!

Wigwag fan , from your description , im now pretty sure it was West Glacier station i got off at . ( although i dont remember the underpass ) .
what put me off thinking it was there was the time the train arrived there at that time ( around 9.45pm ) . but i guess at that time of year( august ) it would still be daylight then . I would recomend hiring a bicycle and riding the going to the sun road , hard work but fun and great scenery .

It is quite possible that you went north on a walkway or stairway, I don't remember there being one as I never had reason to use it.

In the summer, and particularly in the park at the higher elevations and lattitude, there is light well past 10:00 PM, and even past 11:00 PM. Biking down Going-to-the-Sun Road (from east to west) is popular, however each year about a half dozen riders are killed when they fail to negotiate a curve and fall off a cliff. So bring your headlights, take your time, and don't go for a free-fall down the hill unless you are asking to be a crash-test dummy.

I would agree , care is needed . But i wouldnt let it put me off the experience .
As an aside , amtraks superliner huge luggage racks ( in the coaches themselves ) , are ideal for carrying things such as bikes and camping equipment . I would carry your gear on to the train and place it in the luggage rack yourself , rather than check it through , as backpacks with tentpoles etc sticking out are less likely to suffer damage ( or damage other luggage ) if you carry it on and stash it yourself .

David Benton wrote:I would agree , care is needed . But i wouldnt let it put me off the experience .
As an aside , amtraks superliner huge luggage racks ( in the coaches themselves ) , are ideal for carrying things such as bikes and camping equipment . I would carry your gear on to the train and place it in the luggage rack yourself , rather than check it through , as backpacks with tentpoles etc sticking out are less likely to suffer damage ( or damage other luggage ) if you carry it on and stash it yourself .

Agreed, just be careful! I would love to do it one day. From what I have heard it is an absolute thrill to be out there under the moon and makes for some great sights!

I believe West Glacier is not a station to which checked baggage is available. I know that it is often recommended to travel to Whitefish instead (about 30 miles west), which is a staffed station (even at the late night/early morning hours), and has access to rental cars. You can use the rental car to drive into Kalispell to stock up on local supplies (for camping this usually means a stop at Sportsman Ski Haus, at the corner of US 93 and US 2 downtown, or at the Mountain Mall in Whitefish but is a smaller location). Groceries tend to be cheaper in Kalispell, too (Whitefish has a 2% resort sales tax, and both Whitefish and Columbia Falls have about two grocery stores each which drives prices up, Kalispell has about a half dozen.) From a pure-railfanning perspective, this allows you to railfan the yard in Whitefish (including the engine facility), explore the museum inside the east end of the depot (lots of GN artifacts), and the shortline railroad now operating in Kalispell. Kalispell's depot still is there, off of US 2 opposite the mall downtown. (The mall is built on the old railyard.)

However, doing so is absolutely not necessary, all the supplies you need can be purchased in Apgar Village (although at slightly higher prices), and as you mentioned, you can use the lower level luggage racks for your equipment. And bikes can be easily rented in West Glacier/Apgar Village as well, plus there are the Jammers which can get you across the park - in fact there are special routes designed for bikers to bring their bikes to the summit for the ride back down.

Yes , West glacier was unattended , i had to carry my bike on and off . But that shouldnt be a problem to someone whose planning to go camping / hiking .
I also biked through the park to a youth hostel , i believe it was just over the canadian border , but there was no customs etc . That was a nice ride too , but a rough road . you could probably walk it in a day . that was the first time i saw a deer and a bear in the wild . ( we dont have bears ,and Deer are rare ) .

I, too, have traveled Amtrak to Glacier Park. On my first trip as a teenager traveling with my parents, we rented a car and enjoyed staying at several Glacier Park area hotels. On my second trip as an 18-year old, I detrained with bicycle at West Glacier. Our first day was spent bicycling to Lake Macdonald lodge. Our second day was absolutely fantastic -- Riding up and over the continental divide on the Going to the Sun Highway to a the Rising Sun Lodge on the other east side of the park. The last day was spent riding to East Glacier Park.

A trip like that today would likely lead to my demise, but I am sure glad to be able to say been there, done that.

I would love to go out there again. Next time, I might try camping for part of the trip, combined with a stay in a lodge.

Have a great time!

P.S. Another nice destination along the Empire Builder's route is the Wisconsin Dells. Historically, this area has been kind of a cheesy vacation destination, but I really like it. I have taken the train there several times, and I just love the area. I am sure that there must be some nice camp grounds, but I would not go there expecting any high adventure.

David Benton wrote:I also biked through the park to a youth hostel , i believe it was just over the canadian border , but there was no customs etc . That was a nice ride too , but a rough road . you could probably walk it in a day . that was the first time i saw a deer and a bear in the wild . ( we dont have bears ,and Deer are rare ) .

There is definitely a Border Patrol presence now, post-9/11. In fact, after 9/11, there was a problem in which the Park Rangers used to have authority to clear people to ride the boats down Waterton Lakes into Glacier Park. The Rangers were stripped of that authority, which temporarily suspended the boat tours. Border Patrol sent some agents, but due to the confusion and hubbub, you could only go on the tour if you were a U.S. citizen (that's right, Canadian citizens could not go on the boat). Fortunately that mess has been cleared up...

One word of caution, is that if you follow Inside North Fork Road into Polebridge and further north, there is a closed port-of-entry. That port-of-entry has been used in the past by drug smugglers, and as a result the Border Patrol have stepped up patrols in the area. If you attempt to cross the border there (in either direction), do not expect a friendly reception. Do expect lots of off-road vehicles, motion detectors, and helicopters, and machine guns.

In the March 13, 2006 “USA Today” Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) states he will seek legislation requiring that U.S. infrastructure deemed critical to national security be owned by American firms. And when you consider that an Arab company could have been running US ports, was my topic started last April 25 that far-fetched???

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... ht=#120480

So lets get the Builder back on BNSF! And off the CPR!