January 1, 2017
Amtrak Empire Builder ~ First Class ~ Milwaukee to Seattle
Car 731 Room 11 ~ 342p – 1030a +2

Alright then, today we’re boarding Amtrak’s famous Empire Builder for the 2120 mile ride across the northern plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest Cascades to Seattle, Washington. The Empire Builder is the most popular long-distance train in the Amtrak system. It carries an average of about 500000 riders per year from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest via Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. The line splits at Spokane, Washington with half of the train continuing on across the Cascade Mountains to Seattle, Washington while the other half heads southwest down the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon.




Route of The Empire Builder



The train is named for James J. Hill, the president and founder of the Great Northern Railway. Hill reorganized several failing railroads into the Great Northern and then extended the line to the Pacific Northwest in the late 1800s. He provided discounted transport to immigrants looking to move into the northern plains states and then arranged for education on how to grow wheat and vegetables in the tough northern climate. Over the years towns and farms sprung up along the line and as more and more crops came to harvest, his railroad was there to provide transport to the big city markets. In the process he became known as "The Empire Builder". The train that honors him was inaugurated by the Great Northern in 1929 and quickly displaced the Oriental Limited as the railroad's premier train.


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After turning in my rental car at the Milwaukee Airport, I caught the parking shuttle out to Amtrak’s Milwaukee Airport Station. That’s right. Amtrak operates a station at the airport. As airport train stations go, it’s actually quite nice with a spacious and well heated waiting room, vending machines and toilet facilities. The station is, however, unmanned and as such, only the local service Hiawatha stops there to pick up passengers.




The Hiawatha comes into view



A single P42 locomotive powers the northbound Hiawatha



From the airport it’s a short 12 minute ride into downtown Milwaukee and the much larger Milwaukee Intermodal Station. This is a good looking modern facility that serves not only Amtrak but also a variety of long distance intercity bus lines as well as the local Milwaukee County Transit System. With just over an hour to wait until the arrival of the westbound Empire Builder, I decided to avail myself of a late lunch at the station’s small counter service restaurant. A variety of items were available ranging from Middle Eastern specialties to a nice selection of soups to a full on Chicago Style Hot Dog, complete with that soylent green relish and those zesty sport peppers. I opted for a large bowl of lentil soup and a handful of crackers before taking a seat at a table and setting to work on this report.

About ten minutes before train time an announcement was made instructing passengers to form into two lines at the wide double doors leading to the tracks. The line for sleeping car passengers included only myself and an Australian couple with two teenaged children in tow. Another twenty or so people waited to board the coach cars.

We all heard more than saw the arrival of the Empire Builder. The two giant P42DC locomotives heading up our train combine to provide the power of over 8,000 horses. Though not as noisy as that many horses, the locomotives still put out an impressive din as they powered by.

A conductor entered the station and set to inspecting our tickets. Sleeping car passengers were checked first and I was instructed to turn right down the platform and make my way down to the second sleeper, car 731.




Car 731 – The George M. Pullman


The double decker bi-level cars towered above as I made my way down to my car. Ah – there it is! Waiting at the door was my car attendant Floyd. Noting my cervical collar and moderate limp, he quickly relieved me of my roll-a-bord, stowed it on the spacious shelves in the lower level foyer, and then showed me to my roomette.




The hallway to my roomette on the lower level


“Is this your first time riding with us?” Floyd asked.
“Oh no – I’ve logged nearly a couple hundred thousand miles with Amtrak over the years.”
“That many?! Maybe you ought to be giving me a tour of the car!” he laughed.

I took an immediate liking to Floyd. Like many of his fellow car attendants (though not all…) he was a happy, outgoing guy who seemed to enjoy his life and his work. People like Floyd are always a treat to work with regardless of the job they do and I had every confidence that any time spent in my sleeper would be time well spent.

Amtrak’s bi-level Superliner Sleepers offer 14 Roomettes, 5 Deluxe bedrooms, 1 Family bedroom and one Handicapped bedroom. Four roomettes along with the Family and Handicapped bedrooms are located downstairs. The roomettes measure 3’6” by 6’6” and are accessed via a sliding glass door. During the day they comprise two wide opposite facing seats that fold together to become a bed at night. Above them is a fold-down upper berth. Other amenities include four separate lights, an electrical outlet, a tall mirror, a fold out table, a small open closet with hangers and a thermostat which I immediately turned to its lowest level. Best of all, each compartment has its own huge window, approximately 2˝’ X 5’, through which to view the passing scenery. Toilet and shower facilities are down the hall. For a single traveler, I think these roomettes are quite sufficient and comfortable which is a good thing because they would be my home for the next four nights. At the top of the stairway is the service area for each car. In the morning, juice and coffee are available from this area.




Amtrak’s Bi-Level Superliner Roomette


On each seat was a large fluffy pillow. On the center console where the table is stored were two bottles of water and a variety of pamphlets about the train. There was a route guide, a timetable, a safety card much like you’d see aboard an airliner and a brochure describing the train and its various services and attractions.




Amtrak’s Bi-Level Superliner Roomette


Although most people are excited about the prospect of a seat or bedroom high on the upper level of Amtrak’s Superliner fleet, I specifically choose a lower level room for two reasons. First, the downstairs rooms are quieter because there is much less foot traffic passing by your door. All the inter-car traffic is upstairs. Secondly, as the train speeds down the tracks its motion can occasionally make straight-line walking a challenge, causing some people to ricochet their way down the narrow hallways, bouncing off walls and doors with equal abandon. One sleeping car passenger complained that her arms were bruised after just one afternoon on the train. Riding in the lower level of the car results in much less tilt motion than is experienced on the upper levels. Like a fulcrum point on a seesaw, the ride is smoother the lower you are.

The Empire Builder began its 2210 mile journey 90 miles back down the tracks in Chicago, Ill. With only about 20 of us boarding at Milwaukee, our station stop was relatively short. I had just enough time to step off the train for a quick photo of the impressive 6th Avenue bridge to the north of us when the “All Aboard” call was made.

This is no time to tarry. When that call rings out, it’s time to get on the train NOW. A couple of smokers hurridly sucked at the last of their cigarettes before grinding them out and stepping back aboard the train. I was happy to see that they didn’t just toss them on the ground as so many smokers still do. With all of us safely onboard, Floyd shut the large Dutch door and headed upstairs to attend to a call button that had rung out. The engineer powered up his locomotives and ever so smoothly we began to glide north through the Milwaukee suburbs and soon - out into the countryside.




6th Avenue Viaduct as seen from Milwaukee Station



Sunset under the 6th Avenue Viaduct



Miller Park – Home of the Milwaukee Brewers
It looks a lot nicer from the other side, especially during baseball season


As for me, it was time to unpack and settle in to my new home. Travel time from Milwaukee to Seattle is scheduled for almost 45 hours. This is a far cry from driving out to the airport, boarding a plane and then spending the next three and a half hours amidst a sea of homogenous dark blue seats. Consider the differences, if you will... On an airplane you’re surrounded by a multitude of often indifferent fellow passengers, most of whom are plugged in and tuned out to the people and the world around them. It is oh so easy to adopt a similar approach as you slip on your noise cancelling headphones and get lost in your favorite album, a new movie or a work related project. Outside your row’s window, on which the shade is probably drawn, the varied tapestry of the planet glides by 40000’ below, a height so lofty that rural splendor such as I experienced while driving through Wisconsin this morning is reduced to little more than a bland greenish-grey palate. Fly-over country. Time flies... You get up and step out into the aisle to allow the guy at the window to head back to the lav. It’s the only time you’ll likely get up during the entire flight. Eventually the plane lands at Seattle and it’s over. You’ve arrived.

As one who’s logged 5 million miles aboard over 5300 flights, I’m well familiar with the scenario I’ve described above. And yet, I still love flying. I’ve always loved flying but then I grew up in an era when jet air travel – indeed travel itself – was still a novelty. Most people were genuinely excited just to be going somewhere, be it a plane, a train, a bus or a boat. Amongst many the act of traveling anywhere far away was looked at as a special event, one so special that it warranted dressing up for the occasion.

Times certainly have changed as worldwide deregulation has allowed air travel to become accessible to everyone. Those lower fares came at a price though. Where once airlines competed against one another based upon speed, comfort and service; they now compete primarily with low fares and frequency of flights. For many of us, flying around North America and Europe these days has become a homogenized, bland experience devoid of any individuality or flair.

Not that anybody’s complaining, mind you. Times change. People adjust. Attitudes evolve. It is what it is... Hey, would you mind switching your seat so my wife and I can sit together? Sorry, I’m in the middle one there three rows back. OMG! Is that guy really clipping his toenails and putting his bare feet up on the bulkhead?! Uh… that’s a therapy dog? Like I said – times have changed.

While I still enjoy air travel - especially international premium class air travel – at the heart of it I’ve always enjoyed just going somewhere. Robert Louis Stevenson put it best back in 1879 with this now famous quote from his book “Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes”:

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

As a child I was fascinated by rivers and rural roads. Where did they go to? What’s it look like on the other side of that mountain? I grew up backpacking, horseback riding and climbing in the Colorado Rockies so a lot of my early “travels” were spent up close and on foot out in the country and into the wilderness.




Seeing the land close up
Climbing Mt. Maude in Washington's Cascades



You can just make out our tents on the grassy area next to Lower Ice Lake
That was a helluva climb to get up to that campsite from the valley below



Looking down the valley below from our campsite


In my college years, I hitch-hiked all over Colorado and the West. Once I got to the point where I could afford travel overseas, I eschewed the popular and populated places like Europe and headed for the undeveloped regions of Australia, the South Pacific and South America. I’m sure glad I did, too, because I can tell you on considerable authority that places like Tahiti, the far north of Australia’s Queensland or New Zealand’s South Island were waaaaaay different in 1981 than the busy places they’ve become today.

Rail and road travel have always been an integral part of my travels, primarily because I’ve always been into earth’s natural beauty. Rolling across the countryside at 70 mph is a great way to see it and trains in particular are nice because I can do so from the comfort of a chair in the lounge car, a seat in the diner or stretched out on my bed in my roomette.

So what’s the point to all this extraneous commentary? It’s simple, really. Train travel requires a different mindset. You have to be willing to slow down and enjoy travel for a large part of what it is – the act of getting from one point to another. The great affair is to move. That said, it’s not all about sitting there and watching the world go by. As an added bonus, you’ll be sharing the experience with a couple hundred fellow travelers. You’ll get to hear their stories and share yours over cocktails and dinner in the communal dining car, or perhaps over a few beers and a game of cards in the lounge car. Or maybe just a friendly chat with your neighbor in the room across the hall. To that end, a long trip across the country by train is truly what you make of it.


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