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Empire Builder is a train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. Before Amtrak, the Empire Builder was operated by the Great Northern Railway.
The route runs from Chicago, Illinois toward the Pacific Ocean. The line splits in Spokane, Washington, terminating at Seattle, Washington's King Street Station in the north and Portland, Oregon's Union Station in the south.
Great Northern's Empire Builder
History The original Empire Builder was inaugurated by the Great Northern on 11 June 1929. The service was altered to carry additional passengers during World War II. After the war, new diesel trains were placed into service. This postwar service began on February 23, 1947.
The route was publicized for allowing riders to view the passing Rocky Mountains landscapes through domed windows on top of the passenger cars. Ultimately, the name comes from the nickname given to railroad tycoon James J. Hill, who built track passing through Minneapolis-St. Paul in the late 19th century and founded the Great Northern Railway.
Since inauguration the service has run from Chicago to Spokane, then split from Spokane, continuing to Seattle and Portland.
Equipment used The train's 1947 consist was as follows: - Baggage-mail car
- 60-seat chair car
- 48-seat chair car
- 48-seat chair car
- 48-seat chair car
- Dormitory-lunch counter-lounge car
- Diner (36 seats)
- Sleeper (4 sections, 8 duplex roomettes, 4 double bedrooms)
- Sleeper (16 duplex roomettes, 4 double bedrooms)
- Sleeper (16 duplex roomettes, 4 double bedrooms)
- Sleeper (4 sections, 8 duplex roomettes, 4 double bedrooms)
- Sleeper-observation (2 double bedrooms, 1 drawing room)
Car ownership on this train was split between the Great Northern and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and a couple of cars in the original consists were owned by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle. In this consist, one of the 48-seat chair cars and one of the 4-section sleepers were used for the connection to Portland, while the rest of the consist connected to Seattle.
Amtrak's Empire Builder The train passes through the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Layovers are made in St. Paul, Minot, and Spokane. Other major stops on the route are Milwaukee, Fargo, Whitefish, Montana, and Vancouver, Washington.
One train passes in each direction on a daily basis. It is supposedly timed so that the train will pass through the Rocky Mountains at a time of day that has prime viewing conditions, although this results in some unpleasant scheduling. In Fargo, for instance, eastbound and westbound trains come through at 2:10 AM and 3:49 AM respectively. When trains run on schedule, it takes 45 to 46 hours to travel the entire route. The Chicago–Seattle route is 2206 miles (3550 km), and the Chicago–Portland route is 2257 miles (3632 km).
References - Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972), Car Names, Numbers and Consists, Wayner Publications, New York, NY
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