Nostalgia & History > BN/Amtrak west of Spokane

The first decade or so seemed to offer some "switcheroos" in routing of Amtrak trains.
EMPIRE BUILDER was routed via Auburn and Pasco on the way to Spokane.
Added to that, I think it was former NP/SP&S in one direction and just NP in the other.

Now the NORTH COAST HIAWATHA comes along and uses GN routing between Spokane ans Seattle.

Why didn't the two trains stay on their pre-Amtrak routes?

PVSfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The first decade or so seemed to offer some
> "switcheroos" in routing of Amtrak trains.
> EMPIRE BUILDER was routed via Auburn and Pasco on
> the way to Spokane.
> Added to that, I think it was former NP/SP&S in
> one direction and just NP in the other.
>
> Now the NORTH COAST HIAWATHA comes along and uses
> GN routing between Spokane ans Seattle.
>
> Why didn't the two trains stay on their pre-Amtrak
> routes?

The original Amtrak plan was to run only one train between Chicago and Seattle, the Empire Builder.  The route through Pasco and Yakima was chosen because of more population than the route through Wenatchee.  Also, as a result of the BN merger, BN and the City of Spokane was in the process of consolidating all train operations on the grade separated former NP line through Spokane, and close down the GN facilities downtown to make room for the World's Fair, Expo '74, so this routing worked out well since there was no connection between the former NP and GN west of Spokane (the Empire Builder transferred between the former GN and NP main lines at Sandpoint). 

Shortly after Amtrak started operation, Montana politicians convince Amtrak to start the North Coast Hiawatha through southern Montana on the old NP route.  When instituted, the NCH was combined with the Empire Builder west of Spokane and operated on the former NP.  In later 1973, or early 1974 when a connection was completed west of Spokane between the NP and GN lines, cities along the GN line asked for service to be restored to that route, so the NCH was extended through Wenatchee; the Empire Builder continued on the preferred route originally chosen by Amtrak through Pasco and Yakima.  This continued until the NCH was discontinued in 1979.  Not long after that time, the current operation was instituted with the Empire Builder splitting at Spokane to Seattle on the old GN through Wenatchee and the old NP/SP&S to Portland.

Thanks, czephyr17!
That explains a lot and makes sense.

I will add that the EMPIRE BUILDER was still on the NP route in September 1980 when I traveled to Glacier NP and back.
In fact, I did not ride the GN route until a few years later when the Pacific Northwest Chapter NRHS had a special
train:  UP from Portland to Spokane, GN/BN to Seattle, and then return to Portland..

Like so many I've met, I missed riding the NORTH COAST HIAWATHA.  Had I left Seattle on a different day in 1976 I would
have ridden it.   I take some consolation in riding the NP/SP&S/BN across Washington state.



 

Then not too long after BN sold the stampede pass route to Washington Central I’ve often
Wondered if that had something to do with the re route

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