To Yellowstone Park and Seattle on Amtrak's Empire Builder

[Hiawatha Pete]

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 10:50 AM - Edit history (4)

Hello Again, DU'ers,

In the summer of 2016 my wife & I took a ride on Amtrak's "Empire Builder" from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington with a stopover in Whitefish, Montana to visit Yellowstone National Park and thought we might share some pics.

I'll be the first to admit that pictures cannot do justice to actually seeing the scenic wonders of Yellowstone Park, and the blast furnace sounds and the sulfur smells of its geysers in person.

However if you are looking for a diversion from news about the pandemic, and are ready to channel your inner Lewis & Clark, then I hope you'll join us for a virtual journey across the Pacific Northwest!

The pics are from my website, https://northamericabyrail.info/

Hope you enjoy!

Chicago Union Station's Great Hall


Onboard Amtrak's Westbound "Empire Builder" departing Chicago Union Station


Chicago Skyline as seen from the train


Passing through Wisconsin Dells


Crossing the Mississippi River near Winona, MN


Onboard the Empire Builder racing through the badlands near Williston, ND


The Empire Builder at Havre, MT, fueled & ready for its haul over the Great Divide.


Great Northern 4-8-4 type steam locomotive on display in Havre, MT


Sweet Grass Hills, MT


National Park Service volunteers provided a running commentary onboard the train. The Empire Builder closely follows the route of the Lewis & Clark expedition. Photo taken with permission.


Two Medicine, Montana. Crossing the highest trestle on the Empire Builder's route


Glacier Park Amtrak Station


Onboard the Empire Builder, roaring through the Rockies, Glacier National Park, MT


Glacier Park, MT


Front of our train entering a snowshed in Marias Pass


Front of our train entering a tunnel, Glacier Park, MT


Detraining at the Whitefish, MT Amtrak station.


By rental car driving south along Flathead Lake


(Edited to add the following three pics of preserved railroad equipment encountered on our drive through southern Montana-for the benefit of railfans commenting on my thread below )

Burlington Northern caboose on display at St Ignatius, MT


Northern Pacific 4-6-0 type steam Locomotive on display in Missoula, MT


Milwaukee Road EF4 class electric locomotive on display in Deer Lodge, MT


Driving along the Jefferson River Canyon


Yellowstone National Park, West Entrance


Antique 1937 Yellowstone tour bus


Silex Spring, Fountain Paint Pot Geyser Basin


Clepsydra Geyser, Fountain Paint Pot Geyser Basin


Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park


Grand Canyon & Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River


First time we ever saw a wild bison. Yellowstone National Park


Back onboard the Empire Builder. Station stop at Wenatchee, WA


Along the Columbia River near Wenatchee, WA


Climbing the front range of the Cascades near Leavenworth, WA


On board the Empire Builder rolling through the Cascade mountains


Waterfalls in the Cascades


Bavarian architecture at Skykomish, WA


Onboard the Empire Builder, passing wreck of World War II minesweeper 'Pacific Queen' in Puget Sound


Entering downtown Seattle


King Street Station, Seattle - final stop on the Empire Builder's route


Pikes Place Market, Seattle, WA


Ballard Locks, Seattle, WA


Seattle Skyline & Space Needle as seen from Kerry Park

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Sigh. If only the North Coast Limited were still running. Or the Milwaukee Road.

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 12:21 PM - Edit history (8)

Eat your heart out.

Pacific Northwest Holiday on the Super Dome Olympian Hiawatha (1952)
4,050 views•May 16, 2016

Dаvіd Вrоmаgе
1.77K subscribers

Promotional film made by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ( "The Milwaukee Road" ). The Olympian Hiawatha was its flagship streamliner service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest, commencing in 1947. It was not successful and was withdrawn in 1961.

This film is public domain in the United States.

I'll see if I can track down where the segment from 9:10 to 9:30 took place. At 9:40 or so, the MILW crosses the NP at Lombard, IRC.

{edited to add}

I found that location. It's at 46°10'47.9"N 111°03'24.5"W, according to Google maps. The train is headed southwest on a tangent. It curves to the right, crosses Sixteen Mile Creek, and immediately enters a tunnel.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/46%C2%B010'47.9%22N+111%C2%B003'24.5%22W/@46.1799722,-111.0589943,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d46.1799722!4d-111.0568056

The bridge is still there in 2020. Sorry, no street view.

That's Eagle Nest Tunnel.

Eagle Nest Tunnel/Bridge


Milwaukee Road 2-D+D-2 "Little Joes" E-21 and E-77, along with GP9 #804, are ahead of an eastbound freight at picturesque Eagle Nest Tunnel as the train crosses Sixteen Mile Creek within Montana's Belt Mountains on May 20, 1962. Ronald Nixon photo.

{snip}


Milwaukee Road "Little Joe" E-20 has train #16, the eastbound "Olympian Hiawatha," crossing Sixteen Mile Creek as it exits Eagle Nest Tunnel on August 17, 1954.

What would we do without Google?

One more website. Click on that SmugMug link. Someone went out there with a drone.

MILW - Eagle's Nest Trestle

{snip}

Sources
• Luke
• SmugMug - Image
• Flickr - Johannes Smit photo from Aug 1979
• Geoff Hubbs

[Hiawatha Pete]

2. Thanks, I look forward to seeing it.

BTW about two decades ago I rode the 'Montana Daylight' tour train along the Ex-Northern Pacific line from Sandpoint to Livingston via Missoula, you could see the Milwaukee's right-of-way from the train: https://northamericabyrail.info/usa-west/the-montana-daylight/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. This is what you missed by not being on the MILW:

Olympian Hiawatha - 1950s (c).mp4
33,187 views•Feb 4, 2012

Mike Dunham-Wilkie
799 subscribers

{edited to add}

You went over this bridge. This is the Mainstreeter. In a few miles, the eastbound train will divert from the route you were on to go by way of Helena, not Butte. The lines come back together at Logan.

Eastbound:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/641221/

Westbound, with six baggage cars at least:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/641219/

I think Bonner is mentioned in the first video, the MILW promotional film.

[Hiawatha Pete]

11. Thanks for this second onboard video of the "Hi" and the NP pics

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 10:22 AM - Edit history (1)

I have several books on the Milwaukee electrification including "The Milwaukee Electrics" by Noel T Holley. Great resource if you can find a copy.

Also BTW, I didn't post it in my OP, but on this trip I revisited the E70 that's preserved in Deer Lodge - they've now added a section of catenary to it so you can see what it looked like under wires, here's the pic I took:
https://northamericabyrail.info/amtraks-empire-builder-revisited-chicago-il-whitefish-mt-yellowstone-park-seattle-wa/0652-milwaukee-road-class-ef-4-little-joe-electric-locomotive-e70-on-display-in-deer-lodge-mt/

PS I'm also on Railpictures.net, here's my gallery if you're interested: https://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=63021

[Hiawatha Pete]

3. Thanks! I see the youtube link now- Looking forward to taking a virtual trip on the Olympian Hi...

I'm a big fan of the Milwaukee Road, and as part of the same trip where I rode the Montana Daylight, I did a road trip exploring the remains of the Milwaukee Road electrification, including the electric locomotives preserved in Harlowton and Deer Lodge, MT:
https://northamericabyrail.info/on-the-trail-of-the-milwaukee-road/

(Shamelessly promoting my website again, but figure it's ok since its just a log of my travels)

Going to check out that vid you posted...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. "I'm a big fan of the Milwaukee Road,..."

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 10:03 AM - Edit history (1)

Gee, a guy who calls himself "Hiawatha Pete" -- how could that be?

I never got the word on the MILW -- until I saw where it had been. Then it dawned on me. If I had had a chance to experience it, it might have been my favorite railroad.

It had more route miles of electrification than the PRR.

{edited to add}

I see you got out onto the rail-to-trail path where the MILW used to go over the Saint Paul Pass. The Northern Pacific had a line that went between Montana and Idaho near the MILW line. Just last Friday, I was watching a YouTube video of a trip by pickup truck over that line. It had quite a few twists and turns. Several old trestles have been washed out. There's a gap right after the driver has got out of his truck to show where a trestle used to be. When he gets back in, he has moved to another section of the trail. It took me a while to figure that out.

IIRC, he starts at Malta. He immediately goes underneath I-90 and heads off for the first of many loops.

Abandoned Northern Pacific Lookout Pass #470-17
1,971 views•Jun 28, 2017

Trucker Erik JOURNEY'S
2.93K subscribers

Trucker Erik Productions

Fan mail to po box 49 Osburn ID 83849

[Hiawatha Pete]

8. Lol! Always glad to meet a fellow rail aficionado...

Yes, when it was completed it was the world's longest mainline electrification. Approx 660 route-miles when you include both electrified sections-the Rocky Mountain and Coast Divisions.

Riding the Montana Daylight years ago is as close as I'll ever get to riding the Hiawatha, at least the western part. Between Garrison & Missoula, MT the MRL's ex NP route runs right alongside the Milwaukee, and at Lombard it crosses right underneath the Milw Rd bridge over the Missouri River, so at least I got to see that by rail.

Of course you're probably already aware that the eastern portion of the 'Builder's route runs on former Milwaukee Road trackage through Wisconsin & Minnesota. I mention it because at 2:59 of the 'Pacific Northwest Holiday' video that you posted, you can see the exact same view of the Wisconsin Dells as my 4th pic above!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. "Of course you're probably already aware...."

No, I wasn't. Thanks.

[Hiawatha Pete]

13. Neat video of the former NP Lookout Pass

I love the Bitterroot mountain area of MT & ID. There is an old NP depot that was part of that route that still exists at Wallace, ID.

I did basically the same thing as the guy in the video, drove my truck over the portions of the old Milwaukee grade over St Paul Pass that were open to motor vehicle traffic. Loved going through the tunnels & over the trestles.

Since we started our chat I edited my OP to include the pic of the E70 at Deer Lodge. Had no idea there would be others with such in depth knowledge of the Milw & NP - good chatting with you!

[sinkingfeeling]

4. I took it from Winona to Glacier back in 1988. Love trains. I

have a reserved cabin on a train from Sydney to Perth, Australia booked in October, but doubt if any of the trip will happen.

[Hiawatha Pete]

7. Cool! I really like the Empire Builder route

That's too bad about your planned Australia trip, that damned pandemic screws up absolutely everything. But it's better than risking your health by travelling unnecessarily if things are not resolved by then. Keep safe.

[Snarkoleptic]

9. Cool pix!

I've become something a railfan during my layoff period.

I've watched all of the videos from train-hopping Youtubers "Stobe the Hobo" and "RanOutOnARail".
There's some beautiful footage and I can't stop watching.

[Hiawatha Pete]

12. Thanks for checking out my pics!

And for the heads up about those videos, I would like to check them out.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Did someone say "more Milwaukee Road"? Well, of course.

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 08:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Milwaukee Road Electrics
21,349 views•Mar 22, 2019

fmnut
10.7K subscribers

John Hand visited the Milwaukee Road around 1952, mostly covering the Rocky Mountain electrified zone. Most of the scenes shown here are from that trip. I have rounded out the coverage with some slides and film from my collection and some of Red Moser's footage in the late 1970's.

[Hiawatha Pete]

18. Wow! Look at that PRR observation car on the tail end at 4:10

In place of the usual Skytop Lounge

[Staph]

15. My grandparents used to live in Cut Bank, Montana.

The train station was about five blocks from their home, so taking the train to visit was a wonderful choice! Driving there from West Virginia took four or five days and the nearest airport is more than 100 miles away. Then we would sometimes get back on the west-bound train a week later to visit family in Seattle.

I love making the trip in the Empire Builder. I learned early to make a reservation in the dining car so that we had dinner during the trip over the Rockies in Glacier Park. It's simply breathtaking!

Thanks for sharing the pictures -- it's a reminder of some great trips in my past.

[Hiawatha Pete]

19. Cool!

I saw the station and huge trestle at Cut Bank from the back of the train. Thanks for checking out my pics

[littlemissmartypants]

16. Wow, I love this. Thank you for sharing it, Hiawatha Pete .

I feel like I just had a mini vacation!

❤ lmsp

[Hiawatha Pete]

21. No problem!

I enjoy having an audience to share my pics with, thank you for checking them out.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Here's the trip you wish you'd been on.

http://www.theweedroute.com/

On March 23, 2014 Alan L. Freed gave the keynote presentation at the National Railroad Historical Society’s Annual Banquet in Washington DC. The speech was entitled “Last Ride on the Milwaukee Road Pacific Extension.”

The presentation detailed a Fairmont Speeder trip on the abandoned western main line of the Milwaukee Road. The trip took place in early August 1980. Alan was accompanied by Chuck Bothwell, a friend since high school. They both worked as Locomotive Firemen and Engineers on the Penn Central’s Chesapeake Division in the early and mid 1970’s.

A 1952 M-19 Fairmont Speeder was purchased for $400 from a scrap heap at the Maine Central Railroad Yard in Waterville, Maine, specifically to make this trip. A “new” railroad was formed–The Great Northeastern Pacific South and Western Railroad, affectionately known as the “Weedroute.”

This site features a photo essay of a what may be the final trip on the abandoned Milwaukee Road’s Pacific Extension from Miles City, Montana to Cedar Falls, Washington. The trip took place in August 1980.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124078743@N08/14105283630/in/photostream/

[Hiawatha Pete]

20. Wow!

Makes me want to buy an old Fairmont speeder and join the North American Railcar Operators Association to go on some of their rare-mileage trips.

Too bad the rails on the Milwaukee's Puget Sound extension have been lifted, I'll have to settle for a virtual tour..., thanks for sharing those links!