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Train takes you across Western Empire |
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Written by Knight Ridder
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Wednesday, 12 April 2006 |
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SHELBY, Montana — Across the dirt parking lot, the Oasis Bar & Casino beckons with the neon promise of “Dancing” and “Live Bait.”
But I have only 15 minutes to spend here in Shelby, hardly enough time to pick up some night crawlers and do the two-step.
“Don’t leave the platform,” warns Gary Young, the sleeping-car attendant. “When the conductor yells ‘Aboard,’ we are out of here.”
For most folks, “here” would qualify as the middle of nowhere. High-plains towns such as Shelby, 35 miles south of the Canadian border, Cut Bank, Mont., and Williston, N.D., aren’t on the usual tourist itinerary.
But if you’re riding Amtrak’s Empire Builder, you’ll get to see them along with more than 2,000 miles stretching across the northern edge of the United States.
Yesterday, I’d boarded the train in downtown Seattle, and by tomorrow afternoon we’d be in Chicago.
The 48-hour ride on one of the world’s storied trains takes you from Puget Sound to the Rockies and across the plains to wind up just blocks from Lake Michigan. Some of the trip follows trails blazed by the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Along the way, you’ll glide for miles along the oceanfront, catch the sunrise near Glacier National Park and watch Chicago’s skyscrapers rise at the end of the line.
The Empire Builder has been hauling passengers between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest for more than 75 years.
Much of the route follows the original path carved by legendary railroad tycoon James J. Hill, whose rail lines opened the Pacific Northwest to commerce and tourism.
While the Empire Builder’s luxury streamliner passenger cars of the 1950s are long gone, the recently refurbished Superliner cars Amtrak runs on this train are the best the government-owned rail system has to offer.
The double-decker cars are comfortable, with plenty of room to walk about. Each train has a dining car and a separate lounge car with snack bar.
The sleeping-car accommodations range from the smallest roomettes (best for a single traveler) to a family bedroom with room for four. The sleepers include a changing room and shower.
IF YOU GO
• Historical information on the train and Great Northern Railroad:
www.greatnorthernempire.net or www.gnrhs.org
• Information on Glacier National Park, Whitefish, Mont., and Izaak Walton Inn: www.whitefishchamber.org, www.glacierparkinc.com, www.izaakwaltoninn.com
• Amtrak: 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com | Only registered users can write comments.
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