1) Seattle to Glacier Park (Empire Builder) 2) Portland to Spokane (Empire Builder) 3) Los Angeles to Albuquerque (Southwest Chief) 4) Washington to Boston (NEC)
Any preferences?
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Coast Starlight!
Actually, Portland to Spokane intrigues me. That's a ride I've not done -- yet!
Keep up the great work, Rich
Frank in starting to cloud over and cool SBA
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
I vote for Portland to Spokane too, a beautiful and interesting ride. (And Frank, you must do it. If you do it westbound, you need to do it at a light time of year. But eastbound is very nice too.
My second choice vote would be Washington to Boston, because there's so much info I can probably add. And there are some scenic bits, esp between New Haven and Providence.
But whatever you do, it's much appreciated.
From Sojourner (in the snow, but not hit as bad as the Midwest)
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
My favorite thing about Spokane to Portland is seeing the Gorge at dusk (EB) and dawn (WB).
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
I'm toying with options for spending a few thousand AGR points in June and doing something up and down the Columbia River turning around in Spokane is among my options!
Posted by RR4me (Member # 6052) on :
Well shoot, I vote for #1, second place, #2
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
I have not been on the Portland to Spokane segment. It would be great to have your route guide when we do.
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
There are some great conductors who work the Portland to Spokane route and they provide a very interesting narration along the way, so I'll vote for #2. In addition to being very scenic, there was a lot of history created along that route. You can also learn a few trivial facts--like "Bingen" rhymes with "engine".
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
When you do the Portland to Spokane guide, don't forget to mention all the vineyards along the way! They make some nice merlot along the gorge.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!! I guess I need to think about doing Portland-Spokane then! I have some good geology and place name info for that route.
I have actually already written the Seattle-Glacier Park guide, but it needs to be updated and put on my current computer.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
I'll do Portland-Spokane next, but I have one question before I begin it:
Do both the E-bd and the W-bd trains use the same route now between SPK and Pasco? If not, which route is used by the W-bd and which by the E-bd trains (SP&S route or old NP or GN route)?
Thanks--
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Well I vote for D C -Boston The scenery seems so blah there must be more than meets the eye. Maybe I have "done" the route too often. Ride With Me does have a tape of 95
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
Nice, I think I agree with Train Lady, as I use that route a lot
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
I vote for the Portland to Spokane. How about a complete Empire Builder...Seattle to Chicago?
I just got finished reading "USA by Rail", 7th edition. It isn't bad. I wish it had more pictures. It does have some in the front and midde of the book. It does cover most all Amtrak routes but I wish it had a little more detail. For example, when I rode the Empire Builder, last summer, there was on-board information regarding a lot of small towns and hamlets the train went through. As one example, the small towns of Sultan and Gold Bar, east of Everett, have some interesting history associated with them. Nothing was mentioned, in USA by Rail, regarding these small towns. However, I do think USA by Rail is worthwhile. Nonetheless, I liked the format and detail in the book, "Rail Ventures", a little more.
I will be interested in reading your next guide, Rich.
Richard
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: I'll do Portland-Spokane next, but I have one question before I begin it:
Do both the E-bd and the W-bd trains use the same route now between SPK and Pasco? If not, which route is used by the W-bd and which by the E-bd trains (SP&S route or old NP or GN route)?
Thanks--
About 90% sure the old NP route is the only one remaining, and therefore used by the train in both directions. SP&S route is no more. To be sure I am right, check a pre-Amtrak timetable for Northern Pacific. From a BNSF map checked against mapquest to see if the points show up any public map: Intermediate points on the current route are, with milepostas and zero being in Spokane:
From my 1957 Northern Pacific Timetable: Miles from St. Paul / Spokane: 0.0. Spokane 1496 / 0 1.1 Sunset Jct. 15.8 Cheney 1512 / 16 42.4 Sprague 1537 / 41 64.9 Ritzville 1561 / 65 80.5 Lind 1578 / 82 109.7 Connell 1606 / 110 126.3 Eltopia 1624 / 128 145.6 Pasco 1642 / 146 147.5 SP&S Jct (232 mi to Portland, 250 to SEA)
Mr. Harris is correct as usual. UP also had a line from Spokane to near Pasco.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Thanks, George -- I thought that was the current route, the one through Ritzville. In fact, I looked at an old Rand McNally USA Railroad Guide I've had for many years, and I see that, on the "Washington" page, I actually crossed out the old S,P,&S route -- I must have asked this same question before, several years ago.
Thanks again--
Yukon -- of course I DO mention Sultan, Gold Bar, and the other small Washington towns in my guides! I'll do SEA to Glacier Park soon, and when I get that one done, along with the PDX-SPK guide, I will have the entire Empire Builder route on my web site (Glacier Park to St. Paul and St. Paul to Chicago are already posted on the web site)
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