Passenger Trains > Empire Builder 29 years ago...

Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder #8 pulls away from the last stop of the season at Glacier Park, Montana, October 12, 1991. Winter's on the way.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 13:54 by Alco251.

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WOW!  Great picture

I use to oversee the Glacer Park rail stations.  The East Glacier park station had an apartment on the 2nd floor for our ticket agent who was there just for the season.

Amtrak Patty?  As I recall that was the agent's name (the Patty part). A really friendly woman who seemed to love her job. 

She worked at Klamath Falls when she wasn't working at East Glacier

So there's 8 cars in this train. How was this arranged between Seattle and Portland so to speak. For example:

1) Hi-Level Coach-Dorm
2) Sleeper (??)
3) Sleeper (??)
4) Diner 
5) Sightseer Lounge
6) Coach
7) Coach
8) Coach

Just 23 years ago would have been 1997.......So they were doing the "split" at Spokane......Surprised to see a Hi-Level Coach-Dorm, as I think the first cars delivered in the Superliner II order was Superliner Trans Dorm/Sleepers. Maybe car 3) was a coach and car 8) was a sleeper instead of what I listed?

How was the split at Spokane done and how did the consist layout?

What were the seasons at East Glacier?
Thanks.

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX


 

Back then the train was split between the diner and the lounge. Notice the last car is the Portland sleeper. The last 4 cars go to Portland. The rest to seattle In later years the diner was moved to behind the Seattle sleeper. The split in Spokane started in 1981.

Posted from iPhone

At least Amtrak made it easy to split/combine the Builder, I like to know who thought the more complex maneuver with the Zepher/Pioneer/Desert Wind would work or now, how the Sunset drops/adds cars for the Texas Eagle in San Antonio!

Posted from Android

Well Pro when I rode the Pioneer it backed into Denver, they removed the engine then the zephyr connected to the sleeper and one coach, and off to Chicago. The pioneer Diner and Coach baggage remained in Denver for the next days departure west if I remembered correctly the pioneer sleeper hooked to the desert wind sleeper

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 20:57 by Pioneer2526.

Well Pro when I rode the Pioneer it backed into Denver, they removed the engine then the zephyr connected to the sleeper and one coach, and off to Chicago. The pioneer Diner and Coach baggage remained in Denver for the next days departure west

Posted from iPhone

Well Pro when I rode the Pioneer it backed into Denver, they removed the engine then the zephyr connected to the sleeper and one coach, and off to Chicago. The pioneer Diner and Coach baggage remained in Denver for the next days departure west

Posted from iPhone

So you rode it three times?

Rmosele Wrote:
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> So you rode it three times?

Yeah well sometimes smart phones are confusing to old timers.

Posted from Android

Pioneer2526 Wrote:
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> Well Pro when I rode the Pioneer it backed into
> Denver, they removed the engine then the zephyr
> connected to the sleeper and one coach, and off to
> Chicago. The pioneer Diner and Coach baggage
> remained in Denver for the next days departure
> west
>
> Posted from iPhone

We get it.  We get. LOL.