Amtrak Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle (in coach!) - Apparently a Trip Report
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- čas přidán 28. 02. 2023
- A much more scenic ride than I was initially led to believe!
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Website: milesintransit.com/ - Zábava
"Horrible Amtrak station in Grand Fork". That's a genuine Amshack, thank you very much. We're coming up on them being 50 years old, and thus eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
That is a STRANGE THOUGHT
@@JacksonBetz I'll be nominating them day 1 of their eligibility. Most have already lasted about as long as the stations they replaced did!
@@bsquiklehausen Ya know what, I love that! The field of commercial archaeology (architects who are into motels, diners, gas stations, etc.) made a whole movement around preserving mid-20th century "disposable" architecture that most serious critics wouldn't hazard a second glance at, and Amshacks definitely fall under that umbrella! They've got a unique place in US rail history (and our hearts ofc)
Damn, buildings that are 50 years old are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places? As a European that's low-key shockingly young
I love your workshop items keep it up
Seattle-Spokane definitely needs more than one daily train. A daytime run would be immensely useful for Washingtonians, especially if could swing south through Yakima instead of taking the Wenatchee/Ephrata route.
"The old Union Pacific doesn't come by here much anymore..." 🤣
The looks on the faces of your fellow passengers are the true gold.
5:24 Allow me to spread wisdom! That is CANOLA! Also known as rapeseed! Canola is big in North Dakota, as it actually leads US production of it with approximately 82 percent of the domestic production (data from 2017). Approximately 1.56 million acres were harvested in North Dakota in 2017. Other major canola-producing states are Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oklahoma! The English name of the Grass-type Artazon Gym leader in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, Brassius, is named after the rapeseed's genus Brassica! His Japanese name is Colza which is another word for rapeseed.
That aside, people like to talk smack about North Dakota, but North Dakota shows through this that it is indeed beautiful. If it wasn't for videos like this, people wouldn't know. And the Proclaimers a cappella at Havre, Montana is another reason why we keep flocking to your videos. Pure entertainment!
Rapeseed is quite an unfortunate name! Still though, always love a good set of plant facts!
Thank you as usual for the Fun Facts! Yeah, North Dakota had some very pretty moments!
@@jeremyhillaryboob4248 That is why they market it as "Canola".
When I saw it, I was guessing it was some type of crucifer, and I guess I was right.
"Entertainment" is debatable !
"Did I call it the Empire Builder?" and with that, Miles was inspired to ride the Empire Builder. The Lake Shore Limited NYC to Boston via Albany video was the very first video I watched on your channel, so I appreciate referencing that one! And a brand-new engine being disabled and the train finally leaving over two and a half hours later is pretty symbolic of the current state of American railroad infrastructure. Kudos to Metra for giving you front-row seats to see a parade of Metra locomotives at 0:53...my favorite being the former Surfliner one because it's still so obvious what it was used for lol. Also, hi Jackson! Watching Seinfeld on the train at 2:22 is pretty based.
Fun fact: The name "Milwaukee" is derived from an Algonquian word Millioke, meaning “good land,” and from a Potawatomi word Minwaking meaning “gathering place by the waters.”
And ever since then, you've left a great comment full of facts on every video - I really appreciate it!
Not all American railroad infrastructure, just Amtrak. Freight lines, commuter lines, and Brightline are all doing just fine
How long would that route be as a high speed route? I’m guessing chicago to Seattle would be like 15 hours
@@michaelimbesi2314 yeah it was more of an exaggeration to imply just Amtrak. I’m a LIRR rider (and past MNR rider) and I love both
@Avery Not only has he mixed up the Empire Service with the Empire Builder, apparently he’s also mixed up Montana with Maryland.
I sense a pattern… 🤔
Jeb Brooks gave you a recommendation in his latest video….and the circle is complete.
Which one?
Long train journeys seem so arduous yet so charming…
Maybe one day…
"So this is Isthmus" - brilliant! Love the trip report!
Thank you!
I hate to admit how loudly I laughed when you made the Union Pacific reference.
As someone who is from Washington, I've learned from observing other people that I've become numb to the beauty of it all. The idea that you looked out to the brown/orange of eastern Washington next to the Columbia (where I'm from specifically) and say it's beautiful genuinely shocked me.
Great trip report! And it's cool to finally see an Empire Builder video that goes through Fargo during the day rather than the middle of the night.
Hooray for a very late train!
Miles, You're my favorite Travel Vlogger / Irl relatable influencer. You're down to earth and I can tell you were raised right.
Hope to meet you one day in my travels
Thanks so much!
Of all the train travel channels to choose, be sure to find the one with a cappella breaks for 1990s Scottish music if that's what you're into.
Technically it's 1980s Scottish music - the song was originally released in 1988, but it was included in the soundtrack of the movie Benny and Joon in 1993 and saw most of its success then!
Need an entire amtrak/love shack parody song from jackson please. Thank you for this report, I really want to take this trip myself someday…
Thank you for watching!
Ok, I’m so here for all the music cuts in this one 🤣 awesome
14:17 it’s a monument for sitting on the wrong side of the westbound Empire Builder.
I 100% agree that the only way to sleep in a cross-country amtrak coach seat is copious amounts of drugs and sedatives. Gotta make sure that stuff is strong enough you’ll be knocked out for multiple states😂
As someone who grew up in western washington and is currently living in Fargo (look, school is cheap here) I can say that ive gained a whole new understanding for how beautiful western washington is. I genuinely miss going to work and seeing the snowcapped olympic mountains in the distance
Also, I have to say that the empire builder should have a second train 12 hours offset because, especially nearing holidays, it is completely booked out. Plus, as it currently exists, Fargo-Moorehead is an area of a quarter million people that sees a LOT of people regularly travelling to Minneapolis and they dont take the train because it arrives here at 4AM. I know theres a similar situation with Spokane too
I'm personally partial to eastern Washington with its almost otherworldly sparse landscapes, but the mountains and forests in western Washington are incredible too, and completely different! The state has so much to offer!
@@MilesinTransit it really is, I think of if as a microcosm of the US
Idk if it's a family name but it's no coincidence that your folks named you Miles. Not even Myles, The serendipity is not lost in semantics or alliteration.
It was written in the stars ✨
i live in leavenworth and have taken the amtrak from icicle station to seattle (and back) quite a few times with my girlfriend.
fun fact, the railroad passes right by my (now childhood) home a bit high up on a hill that overlooks a scenic farm (on the right side of you’re heading to seattle, left side if you’re heading away) right before entering/leaving a tunnel. i never really thought about it as a kid, but it is pretty cool to think about how it is an integral view of the passengers :)
Nice video. The van you saw for the Inn at Essex, MT was the Izaak Walton Inn, a railroad-themed trackside lodge which offers cabooses and even a locomotive as cabin accommodations. In July like when you went, families all line up along the bridge over the tracks to watch the Empire Builder depart each evening. They have a new owner and are closed for renovations this summer, but my family and I stayed there in 2021 and loved it, and plan to go back in the future.
Whoa, that sounds amazing! I love how they directly cater to the scheduled Amtrak train too!
@@MilesinTransit It's only a quarter mile walk from the station to the Inn. After seeing the proximity when I got off the EB at dusk, I walked it several times while I stayed there before walking to get back on and go to Portland. The scenic highlight of that leg is two hours in the gorgeous Columbia Gorge. Saw Mt. Hood for the first time...
jeb brooks just shouted you out in his latest video empire builder Seattle to Chicago
This is funny and cool because I was just talking about taking this train from Grand Forks to Spokane as part of a college visitation trip (trying to get to U of Idaho and Whitman from UND (I'm from NJ)). Now seeing this year-old video from a content creator I really enjoy on that very train recommended to me is so cool. (Also ty for teaching me that it's My-nott and not Mi-noh, if I ever wound up in ND (favorite state) they'd kill me).
Edit: I've revised the plan to take the train further to Pasco, WA. This puts me closer to Whitman (in Walla Walla), which I also want to visit, and also means I don't have to get off the train at 2 AM.
I live in Oregon and I love how you appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It really is beautiful. When I see Mt hood. I know I am home.
Great Report! I wish I had such a good friend like yours to tag along a 2 day long train trip, you are very lucky!
"The old Union Pacific doesn't come by here much anymore...." And I immediately hear the Cat Lady. This series is getting me excited to finally Amtrak across the country myself, hopefully next year. Shame about no more bagels, though.
It's an amazing experience!!
I've had the AATR jingle stuck in my head all week. You're an awesome musician!
99% of the credit goes to Jackson, who is just incredible - thank you though!
I've been waiting for this video and it did not disappoint. Those yellow flowering fields have the unfortunate name of "rapeseed" and are the source of canola oil. Fun Fact. Not a fun fact: Amtrak needs to do a LOT better on the toilets front.
great video, and very enjoyable shots of the beautiful midwest. thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
Salute to you doing this journey in coach.
I once rode the empire builder from Chicago to Portland! I remember getting off at minot for a break.
"If you know what I mean" - Miles Taylor 2023
Wild, i live near Mukilteo! its cool to see you guys go through it!
Always fun watching your trip reports! The musical breaks are of course a highlight. Thanks for the Proclaimers and I would love to find a full version of AmShack© (Love Shack) on one of your future videos.
Thank you so much!
I did 76 hours 3 weeks ago from NYC to LA, In coach. A few days later there was snow and blizzards in Arizona so glad I swerved those. Even managed to avoid delays on the Coast Starlight 5 days later.
I did Chicago to Portland in 2017, the scenery on the Portland section after Pasco is absolutely spectacular, it follows the Columbia River Gorge for almost the entirety of the last few hours. It was a little overcast the day I went through, but apparently on clear days, Mount Hood is visible for much of the route too.
The intro is so great. At random intervals in the video I just feel the urge to listen to it again and again. Your jingles (I guess that’s what they’re called) are so catchy
Thank you so much!! Jackson gets 99% of the credit for the music, he is a genius!
I Took That Trip Several Times. I see they still have the Amtrak Stinky Problem With The Toilets. Thanks For Sharing your adventures. I am really enjoying your channel. Happy Travels.
Thanks a lot!
Hey Miles, nice trip report, its cool to see this all documented. My friend and I are in the background quite a bit (I'm staring into your camera during the foamer rant at 11:12). It was nice meeting you guys!
That's awesome!!
This will go down as one of the Miles in Transit videos of all time. Legend
I did that trip about 1 month before you! Best bucket list trip of my life!
I am so going to enjoy this awesome trip to Seattle with my 86 year old dad this July. Crazy, we actually start near Philly to Chicago and then the Empire Builder. I hope he doesn't poop his pants during the trip - LOL!
that sounds awesome! i drove from california to louisiana with my 82 year old grandpa once. he drove in the day, i drove after dinner LOL. hope ya'll enjoyed the trip!!!
first time I have seen anything from these guys and they had me pissing myself laughing,lol! that's a definite subscribed Keep up the good work guys
Thank you so much!
I have taken The Empire Builder several times now between Eastern Washington and Portland and can confirm that the view is pretty similar to that seen between Eastern Washington and Seattle. It's pretty much all along the Columbia River the entire way and everything turns green halfway into Oregon
O M G "So this is isthmus" at 20:41 made me spit out my metaphorical dentures. Nothing beats a trip with Jackson aboard!
Jackson's Big Star phone screen- right on!
Not many travel videos mention the beautiful town of Malta, MT. So excited you two gave a shoutout to the Stockman Saloon and RadioShack🎉🎉
Belated greetings from Wenatchee! The dam you saw on the Columbia River is the Rock Island Dam, which is operated by the Chelan Public Utility District. We have some of the lowest electric rates in the country! And King Street Station is absolutely stunning. I took so many pictures the first time I was there, and I still do when I go. There DEFINITELY needs to be a second daily Seattle to Spokane and Portland to Spokane train for sure. If you make it out this way again, give me a head up and I'll bring you some Washington apples!
Ooh, if there's one thing I love, it's apples...thank you so much!
(that's genuine - I really really love apples!)
@@MilesinTransit you need to seriously come back, then!
Super cool trip review.
Thank you!
I have done this route several times---but in a roomette. Don't think that I could endure nights in coach!
Good info, thanks
the Proclaimers were the second best Scottish thing about 90s movies (the first being Mike Myers playing his own Dad tormenting his big hee-ded little brother in So I Married an Axe Murderer). So I dug the Havre diversion-- along with the rest of the trip. Glad I discovered this channel-- brought many laughs and smiles. Keep up the good goofy work. Now I just have to figure out how Patreon works.
Thank you so much!!!
Gotta say that Amtrak's proposed service across Southern Montana is a compelling add here. The Empire Builder's problem is that it seems to be mainly build for seeing all of that beautiful scenery. A Southern MT route would hit up the main settlements of Montana, and would supplement service across the region.
12:01 Jackson,always asking the important questions.
Definitely my favorite gag, the commentor correcting you and spelling worse and worse as it goes.
I just booked my first amtrak trip about an hour ago! It’s not a long distance train, just NYC to DC, but I’m hoping to do a rail pass journey after I graduate. Very excited for my first amtrak experience.
NYC to DC is a really fun trip - the train goes super fast and there are some great views crossing the Susquehanna River! I hope you enjoy it!
@@MilesinTransit I see the Susquehanna plenty already, my university is right next to it lol, but I should be getting into Maryland right around sunrise so hopefully there will be some pretty sights!
GB county buses from the Fifties had corner fenestration along the sidewall & ceiling seams, really smart for customarily dreary weather, right
The yellow stuff at 5:26 is rapeseed, used to make canola oil. Small fun fact: the word canola comes from CANada Oil Low Acid.
EDIT: Reading the other replies, looks like I was super late with that answer.
5:24
That's Canola/Rapeseed (depending on if you are American or British). It is used for making cheap vegetable oils, at least in the US. It's not the worst one, but there are much healthier cooking oils out there.
Well done, from Scotland 🏴
Ayyy thank you!!
Hey guys! I work on this route. St Cloud to Minot and St Cloud to Winona. I might have been one of your conductors between Winona and St Cloud on the late train or the train you boarded from Rugby to Minot. You guys are hilarious! I would love to meet you some time! Take this train again and message me! Would love to see ya on the train again!
Whoa, that's awesome to hear, thanks for watching and commenting! And thank you for the great work you do on the railroad!
I saw the date you showed on the burger and immediately realized I was on the Zephyr the same day you were on this!
Great trip report - based on your shots from the observation car, it looked like it was pretty crowded the whole time?
Also, after watching this channel for a few months, the a cappella hooks are burned in my brain (in a good way). Way more catchy than they have a right to be!
Thank you so much! Yeah, the observation car was the place to be, it was always crowded.
Glad you gave Stanley, ND a (very brief) mention! I lived there for a few years when I was a kid. It certainly is an town in North Dakota. Highly recommend, to anyone, getting a Whirla-Whip @ Dakota Drug if for whatever reason you end up spending any time in Stanley-- I may be biased and looking back on it with nostalgia goggles, but it's seriously the best ice cream I've had in my life, and Stanley is the only place in the world you can get it.
I've only been back to Stanley once since moving away, and by pure relevant coincidence, I took the train to get there & back; its still the only train journey I've ever done in my life yet. Portage, WI (the closest train station to me.. which is still close to two hours away [speaking of, Portage is the least used Amtrak station in WI.. hope to see a video on it from you eventually (: ]) to Stanley, ND. I don't remember much, if anything of, the train trip, but I know for sure it beats driving to and from there.
It sounds like a wonderful small town! And Portage is absolutely on the list!
@@MilesinTransit From what little I remember of the few years I spent there, I remember it being pretty nice. Lived right on the main street which was nice, always an easy walk into town. I think it's developed a lot more since I was last there, say.. close to a decade ago now, and there's definitely parts of the town I wouldn't recognize anymore if I were to ever go back. Still got family living there though I think, maybe someday I'll take this same train back there..
Can't wait for the Portage video, or any other WI related vids (maybe if that Amtrak line going up to Appleton/Green Bay actually happens [please make it happen], that could be something on the list someday too).
Unrelated but figured I'd mention, I discovered your videos somewhat recently (I think through youtube recommending me transit related videos because of NJB & others like him) and I've been binge watching your stuff lately. Enjoying your videos (the Greyhound disasters and the Amtrak stuff especially), can't wait to see more, makes me wish I could do even a fraction of the traveling you do.
Thank you so much - I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel, and thank you for commenting!
I had the Whirla Whip when I was in Stanley 5 years ago, it was great!
when you go through the driftless region in wisconsin and minnesota, it's really beautiful
I guess I'll have to wait for the inevitable time I ride this to Portland instead to experience that, hopefully in the daylight!
Just finished this trip in a private bedroom. My first dinner got me sick and I spent most of the 44 hours in my toilet, which wasn't wide enough for my shoulders to fit. The train has no Wi-Fi and ours didn't even have an observation coach. The ride is incredibly rough and it is almost impossible not to spill things when you are eating. The crew, however, were absolutely marvelous.
Oof, I'm really sorry it didn't go well...not having an observation coach totally kills the experience! (well, as does getting food poisoning...really sorry to hear that)
I'm taking Amtrak from the Northwest to the Northeast in a few weeks...74 hour trip. I've only ridden the Cascade Express to/from Seattle before. Couldn't afford the roomette, so I have been a little anxious about the coach seats in these cars. They look pretty comfy at least, so that's reassuring.
I hope you have a good trip! The coach seats are pretty darn good on the long distance trains, you should be okay.
very cool video to watch as someone whos also done this!
Really cool gentlemen!!
Thanks!
0:26 Hi Jackson. (I think I’m the only person who actually did this lol)
Finally someone does it! Thank you ;)
Welcome to my "local" train line as a north Idahoan. You are right to call WA State underrated for nature views when everyone just thinks of the Cascades and Puget Sound. Come back in winter and ride between Spokane and Seattle for some spectacular snowy winter landscapes!
Also, the scenic ride to Portland takes you down the Palouse wheatlands and amazing scenery of the Columbia River Gorge. Arguably even better views than Washington IMO.
I love me some Big Sky Montana! The air out there is so clean lol
I drove 2.5ish hours from my town in South Dakota to Fargo ND, and caught the Empire Builder last September to Seattle it was awesome despite the delays, the lounge car attendant had a educational lecture about the trip while we passed through ND, he even pointed out you can see some of the missile silos if you look carefully near Minot where they keep nuke warheads, we can only go 40 mph that afternoon in Montana because the tracks were super hot, and that night after Havre MT, we can only go 20 mph because of a 60 mph wind thunderstorm, because of all the delay, I saw the beautiful foggy sunrise in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, I'll never forget that, the train was already 2 hours delayed coming from Chicago, and 5.5 hours delayed from Fargo on, they gave us pretzels and a joke tiny yellow bottle of water for compensation for the delay, then after the train detached to split to Portland and Seattle, somewhere in Washington state near Wenatchee, they gave everyone in coach a free meal to compensate the delay, we all had beef stew and wild rice with one free soda or water, one of the passengers complained the free meal tasted of dog food lol anyways I enjoyed every minute of it going and back, even saw the BNSF geometry train in one of the stations at Glacier
That sounds so much fun! The communal experience of being SUPER late on an Amtrak train and getting that beef stew is kind of awesome.
10:48 Great singing
Thanks!
I definitely recommend spending at least 1 night in Fargo.
You and Jeb gave each other shoutouts around the same time taking the same train
“The old Union Pacific doesn’t come by here much anymore”
Glad you enjoyed your view of Grand Forks 😂
I love the intro song that You made for this video!
Thank you!
The king street station in Seattle is such a beautiful station. I had a day in Seattle after I did an Alaska cruise so I spent it with an old friend of mine and we went to king street station to see the station and train. The security guard almost didn’t let us in as it was for passengers only, but I told the guy “I just wanted to see inside and the architecture. I’m visiting from San Diego and wanted to see this beautiful station and snag some photos” and the guard was like “oh in that case Forsure man go on in but don’t stay too long” we got our pictures, security told us some station history and we went and caught the southbound cascades train down past the stadium. All in all, beautiful station
Years ago it used to have a 1960s hanging ceiling which got rid of during renovation and it is so much better for it. Before it was a boring waiting room and now it is much much better
@17:55 - fun fact, those plates you're eating off of are probably made by a company in California called WNA. I work for an automation company that built the equipment that laser-mark those with that fancy "ring" that makes them look like they're fine china!
Whoa, that's so cool!
I rode the California Zephyr from Omaha to Reno. Too bad Amtrak can´t seem to be on schedule at least past Chicago. I was just glad I made it to Reno while the sun was still up. I was supposed to arrive and 8am. I got there at lunch time.
That line is very useless
Brand new engine disabled on the Empire builder right at the beginning is the exact same thing that happened when I took it. 4hrs late too.
things i did not expect in this video.......an a capella version of a proclaimers song.
"What do they call oil, Jackson?" "Natural gas." 😎
Edit: your impression of a typical foamer CZcams commentor was impeccable. If you didn't get there first, that comment was just waiting for you.
You should ride the new Ethan Allen Express to Burlington VT in a future video!
I definitely plan to someday! I want to eventually fill out the tierlist with every Amtrak route.
@@MilesinTransit That would be awesome!
I absolutely LOVE all your references to the Simpsons and Seinfeld!
I gotta give Jackson the credit for those!
Glacier Nat'l Park is beautiful!
that 500 mile cover got stuck in my head way to easy
Hi Jackson!
Very helpful info in this for our upcoming cross country trip on the Empire Builder. Do you know if the cafe car would give hot water if a coach passenger needed it for ramen or oatmeal? Trying to keep from spending too much on sub par food by taking some of our own. Thanks for this video!
I'm actually not sure, but this snippet from an official Amtrak blog post seems to suggest it usually isn't a problem! blog.amtrak.com/2014/11/train-trips-strong-memories/#:~:text=The%20cafe%20will%20usually%20give,soup%2C%20whatever%20just%20needs%20water.
5:35
You never know with purple stuff! Once upon a time I was at the vernal pools and I saw a patch of purple I thought was water and instead was a bunch of Downingias growing in a dried-up pool
You fellas are funny. I was bummed after watching a quirky couple be silly on this route on another channel but this raised my spirts
I've taken this train between Havre, Whitefish, and Portland (the Portland section is also AMAZING along the Columbia river in southern WA). So many good memories :') this made me very happy. You lucked out the next day after Rugby having an on-time train! Just enough time to catch the beauty of Glacier Park before dark. I was an intern for BNSF the other summer in Whitefish and I've been all over that depot building. Currently I live in Tacoma doing transportation planning for BNSF and I sooooo badly want to make the full Empire Builder journey.
Also, no need to shave... you look great ;)
This inspired me to look up all Amtrak numbers. What is your take on the routes splitting like that at Spokane?
I don't mind it! Given Amtrak's limited schedules, it's a sensible way to have more service out west where it's a little denser.
Miles just some musings. For your trips have you considered self-heating meals like heatermeals EX, OMeals, backpacker meals with heaters, etc.? I have to think the cafe car meals get limited and repetitive after not too long. Some of these have gotten really good, some are less expensive, usually not both. Anything not to have to do the dreaded DiGiornos.
On these long distance trips Amtrak could do better: wider selection at the cafe with good frozen or shelf stable meals would be a blessing to those traveling coach. Also with all the airline lie flat business seat configurations and concepts, some with higher density that Amtrak’s current long distance coach class, in future builds the seats could be more accommodating to sleeping.
Good point about lie flat airline seats! As for meals, I'm pretty sure heaters aren't allowed on Amtrak trains, but I definitely try to bring outside food as much as I can. It didn't make this video, but Jackson and I got Shake Shack and had that for dinner the first night.
Washington and Oregon are underrated scenery-wise? Those are the two states on the top of my bucket list to visit ever since I started looking around the US on Google Earth (if I ever make it across to america).
I find that people usually talk about places like Utah, Arizona, and Colorado, and don't necessarily put Washington and Oregon on the same pedestal! But they definitely deserve to be.
The driftless area in the upper Mississippi was a shame to miss. Also, SPUD! St. Paul Union Depot. This is where J.J. Hill was based, after all, the Empire Builder himself. But if you could get some good sleep that's worth a lot.
I hope I get the chance to take the Empire Builder one day...