Coast Starlight to Portland, OR, Empire Builder to Essex. Montana

Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, and Empire Builder from Portland to Essex, Montana

A Western USA Amtrak Adventure, Rails, Rivers, and Roads.

Rail Travelogue by Carl Morrison, Carl@Trainweb.com, with help from Don "Preacher" Roe.

This trip would be a new Amtrak Adventure for me. I had ridden the Coast Starlight route many times, but this trip would also include The Empire Builder from Portland, OR, to Essex, Montana, in the middle of Glacier National Park. We were to stay at the Izaak Walton Inn at Essex (see Part II).

After a few minutes on the Surfliner from Fullerton, CA, to Los Angeles, we boarded the Coast Starlight for our first leg to Portland, OR. As is always the question with the Coast Starlight, "Will there be a Parlour Car on this trip?" Unfortunately, as the CS backed in, there was no Parlour Car in the consist, not even a substitute Diner Lounge. It would be like any other Amtrak train, sleepers, coaches, sightseer lounge, diner, on this, the day before the Relaunch of the Coast Starlight...very disappointing.

We tried to raise our spirits, and jokingly asked our sleeping car attendant, Jose Lopez, "How do they handle wine tasting, bring it to our room?" He responded with a straight face, "Yes, we bring a taste of red and a tast of white wine to your room." (Surprise!)

The journey began from Los Angeles with excitement about our destination, Portland, Oregon, as No. 113 lead the way.

(Click any photograph in this report for a double-sized copy; click BACK in your browser to return to this page.)

No. 113 on the lead at L.A.	No. 113 on the lead at L.A.
The second locomotive, No. 118, looked newly painted. Our Sleeping Car 1430 Attendant, Jose Lopez (right).

Monica (left) was a trainee on this trip and had been a trainee on earlier trips as a car attendant and waiter.	As I talked with the car attendants before departure, Jose pointed out a Metrolink car that had been brought down from the north for use in L.A.
Santa Barbara Station, first stretch break.

Trails and Rails volunteer guide on the train (above). California Coast past Goleta, CA, heading for San Luis Obispo.

The railroad has ocean-view property for miles from Oxnard through Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo. Today worth millions for homes, but when it was built, the inland farm land was more valuable, so the railroad took the untillable cliffs above the ocean. It makes for a great ocean-view ride today. These images were made from the left side of the train going north. If you are traveling coach, ask for the left/ocean view seat when you get your seat assignment in the LA Station. If that is not possible, as soon as the Conductor takes your ticket, you can go to the Sightseer/Lounge car. If your room is not on the ocean side, you may go to the Parlour Car for a better view of the ocean.

Looking away from the ocean, a mountain range rises up. President Reagan had a ranch over those hills, inland from Gaviota, CA, Beach.	Point Conception
Camp ground reachable from Lompoc. (Right) creek on north side of the campground.

	I wonder if the beef tastes better if they've had a steady diet of an ocean view.
Jamala Rescue Station

Roads and fences stretch from the railroad to the sea.


	Vandenberg Landing Strip

Vandenberg Landing Strip	San Luis Obispo Station where the Northbound and Southbound Coast Starlights sometimes meet about 3 pm.
View south on the platform	View north on the platform

Cuesta Grade and the Horseshoe Bend with the front of the train,	and the rear of the train.
Looking back downgrade, you can see the long trestle we passed over, and the "S" curve that preceeds it.	The train at this point is still moving upgrade slowly.

With the train moving slowly, and wine tasting soon approaching after SLO, it's time to catch a few winks.	Across the valley, Hwy. 101 has its own grade to deal with. Our side has a few tunnels and an adjoining stage coach road for variety.
The next morning we saw our first snow-capped dormant volcano in a chain that runs along the west coast.

Note: If you plan to take the Coast Starlight to meet the Empire Builder, plan to stay one night in Portland to insure that you get to ride a train all the way, not an Ambus. Case in point: Passengers booked on the Empire Builder on our Coast Starlight this day were told to detrain here at Klammath Falls and take the bus to meet the Empire Builder...EVEN THOUGH WE GOT TO PORTLAND BEFORE THE EMPIRE BUILDER LEFT! You board the Empire Builder in _____ , past the Columbia Gorge, a sight not to be missed!


(Click this map from the Klammath Falls Station to see the a large copy of the Coast Starlight Route and bus routes through Oregon.)	You may have heard about the big mud slide that disrupted freight and Amtrak service in Oregon for months. Above is the downhill view of some of the repaired hillside below the tracks.

The end of our train navigating replaced rails lost during the landslide.	Arriving in Portland, OR, and crossing the RR bridge, we saw these navy vessels in town for a festival.
A couple of my favorites, Powell's Books and Portland Street Car.	Neon in Jake's Grill window in the Governor Hotel

Portland: The Chinook Indians were the first to use the site of Portland as a port. It is said that homesick New England settlers flipped a coin to choose between Portland (as in Maine) and Boston (as in Massachusetts) for the name of their new city. Today, Portland, Oregon, calls itself the "City of Roses" because of its beautiful rose gardens. In the heart of the Columbia River basin, Portland was the largest city in the Pacific Northwest when it was incorporated in 1851. With the completion of the railroad 30 years later, it became a supply center for the Klondike Gold Rush. --Amtrak Empire Builder Route Guide.

The next day, we took a cab from our Holiday Inn Express Hotel back to the Portland Amtrak Station and stored our luggage in the Metropolitan Lounge (for 1st Class Passengers on the Coast Starlight or Empire Builder) and went to ride the Streetcar. Here are some scenes from the streetcar on the southern loop.

	From the streetcar.
Curious sign from the trolley.	This Tram is near the end of the south loop of the streetcar.

Lower Tram Station
On a 12-minute end-of-the-line break for the streetcar operator, I walked around the nearby Tram Station.

	$4 round trip

Inside the articulated streetcar.	Tan area of the streetcar map is a free area, otherwise it is $1.75 or $.85 for seniors called "Honored Citizens."

Jake's Grill in the Governor Hotel...great lunch before we returned to the Station for the Empire Builder to Essex, MT. I went across the street to the "Made in Oregon" store for a gift box of 3 half-bottles of Honeywood berry wine.
The Bar at Jake's, above. Right, the scene from our table of the main entrance and dining room beyond.

I walked back to the Portland Station and took a few photographs around the property:

From the pedestrian bridge over the tracks.	Fueling the Genesis


These words have been on the Portland Station clock tower for years. I saw the same letter style on a sign downtown that said, "Go By Streetcar."

	I returned to the Metropolitan Lounge to work on my photographs on my computer. They do not have wireless Internet, however.
They do have free softdrinks and a television, and plenty of seating away from the large train lobby. We loaded our luggage into our Empire Builder roomette, and checked in with our Dispatchers (wives) (Right).

The Coast Starlight pulled in,	this trainset had a Parlour Car!
	It was soon "All Aboard" for the Empire Builder and we headed across the Columbia River, to Vancouver, WA, then eastward up the Columbia Gorge.

--The map above is from the Amtrak Empire Builder Online Route Guide.

Arrows above indicate that we went from Portland to Essex on the way up, and Essex to Seattle on the way back on the Empire Builder. The best way to see the Columbia Gorge.

	From the bridge, we could look back at downtown Portland.
We had ample views of Mt. Hood across the Columbia as we headed east.

Photo Tip: Set your camera for multiple shots (sometimes called burst) when going through a railroad bridge, then discard the closeups of steel beams later!

Vancouver, Washington: Founded in 1854 by the Hudson's Bay Company, Vancouver was named for Captain George Vancouver , shipmate of Captain Cook and commander of the British expedition to chart the Northwest. Vancouver's shipyards serve both ocean-going and river vessels. TO the north is Mt. St. Helens, nearly 10,000 feet high, a volcano that was inactive until 1980. --Amtrak Empire Builder Route Guide.

	Vancouver, WA, Station. The Route Guide said to look for Plum Trees and Prune Drying Sheds in this area.
Crossing above I-5 along the Columbia RIver.	Portland, OR, Airport across the Columbia R.

The consist was a Sightseeing/Lounge car (no diner nor transition car) immediately behind the baggage car, so this unique view was from the Sighteeing car toward the Locomotive. If this Empire Builder is now the Flagship of the Amtrak Fleet, maybe they should get a 'redo' on the paint job in the Sightseer Lounge (right).
Many very nice, new, large homes at riverside.	The lounge-sightseer car is the best place to view the Columbia Gorge. Our's had the new blue configuration with half tables (for more seating) and 1/2 uplolstered seats.

Since there was no diner on the Empire Builder until it met the other segment in Spokane which had left Seattle, we were offered a cold salad. I selected Shirmp Salad...very good. Don selected roast beef cold plate. Two, or more, champagne splits came with the meal. My setup, below, shows the napkin pack, timetable, dinner, Route Guide, my notebook, and the drinks as we rolled eastward up the Columbia River's north edge.

The Columbia River Gorge is 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington state and the south canyon walls in Oregon State.

Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. It cascades 620 feet to the Columbia River.

Multnomah Falls
(Right) Bridge of the Gods from Cascade Locks, OR, to the vicinity west of Stevenson, WA.

Tow Boats move barges of grain and other products along the river.
	The Columbia River Gorge, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 feet in altitude, is 55-miles long and was formed by the incredible strength of the Columbia River.

Semi-trucks along the shore are dwarfed by the 4,000 ft. canyon walls. (Right) Other waterfalls appear as we head east.
At one point, we seemed to cut across an inlet on the water, as you can see on both sides of the sightseet lounge. It was a causeway.	I spotted the Columbia Queen Riverboat, on which my wife, Sue, and I had taken a one-week cruise between Astoria on the Pacific, and Idaho.

	Understandably, this is a great route for motorcycles.
The gorge gets shallower as we progress eastward and some beautiful estates, including wineries, can be seen on the bluffs.	It seemed as if we were circling Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon at 11,235 feet is one of many peaks with perpetual glaciers and snow fields that mrk the Cascade Range across Oregon and Washington.

Lift bridges allow ocean-going ships and riverboats to reach this far inland.	Logging is still big up here, even though the products have changed. Some products go out on ships to be made into chipboard and plywood.
	An empty rack for hauling lumber, as shown to the left. Some lumber on the rails may be covered with waterproof material.

Could we be getting closer to Mt. Hood!	The late afternoon sun made a 3-D landscape along the Columbia River.
The town of Mt. Hood, WA, is known as an excellent place for wind surfing.	Tow boats maneuver barges up and down the river, through locks next to the dams, and into loading docks.

Tow Boats have their own fans just like trains. (Right) Never too late for another shot of Mt. Hood from the Empire Builder out of Portland.
The Dalles, navagable waters today because of dams on the Columbia, was originally rapids and a favorite Indian fishing area.

Known as the end of the Oregon Trail, The Dalles (above, left) was where pioneers loaded their wagons onto rafts or barges and floated down the Columbia to the mouth of the Willamette River, then upriver to Oregon City. The Barlow Trail was constructed later to permit an overland crossing.

As the light gets lower in the west, Mt. Hood (right) looks majestic.

(Above and below, left) I saw a RR bridge across the Columbia R. north of our train. I couldn't see how it could make a turn sharp enough to intersect with our track...until I got closer. Then I saw that they started the turn in the river. They constructed a curved approach from the south and a curved approach from the north to accommodate trains crossing the river to be able to go either direction. This would also necessitate a switch on the bridge as well as two on land. The shot below left, shows the lift bridge in the raised position allowing barges to pass.

	Native Americans in the area can fish, and have for years, from this type of platform.
Constructed by Sam Hill, Stonehenge was the first monument built in the United States in honor of those killed in the first World War. It is a tribute to the soldiers of Klickitat County who lost their lives in the war.	Another of the dams/locks on the Columbia.

Since the sun was setting behind the train, I walked to the back window (which was clean since these cars have recently been refurbished) and enjoyed the changing light above the RR tracks.


I found the portion of the track next to the wide river caused by a dam, especially photogenic.	Although we were not yet officially in 'Big Sky Country' I thought this photo looked like what I would see in Montana.

When you are taking photos from the 'caboose' on Amtrak and you feel a switch under the car, this is a chance to get a photo of something different than single track.	This factory next to the siding would be a good candidate for the setting of a Sci-Fi film in my opinion.
A vertical shot may make the sky and track a more dramatic photo.

We passed through a narrow cut in the rocks and there were many wires strung on the telephone poles as detectors of fallen rocks from the sides. In fact we stopped for a track inspection once on this trip from such a detector's signal.
Obviously, I was fascinated by the tracks stretching along the Columbia.	Do you like a curved track better?

During the night we passed Spokane, where we were joined to the Seattle section of the Empire Builder heading for Chicago, Sandpoint, ID, had a time change to Mountain Time, and Libby, MT. The first thing I saw the next morning was Whitefish, MT, after Flathead Tunnel.

Whitefish, originally nicknamed "Stumptown" originated from logger heritage. The Alpine-style station (below) matches the beauty of the area. Nearby is the popular Big Mountain ski resort. Located in the valley of Flathead National Forest, with its great recreational activities, the town is bordered by Whitefish Lake. --Amtrak Empire Builder Route Guide.

After the seven-mile-long Flathead Tunnel, the second longest in the Western Hemisphere, and 42 miles of track, we reached Whitefish.

	Whitefish, MT, not only had an alpine-style station (below), but vintage Northern Railway rolling stock.

Some rail travelers from Southern California go to Whitefish as their turn-around point before returning to California. I was impressed with the size of the town. While here for a crew change, we could step off the train and I was delighted to see sunshine because all the weather reports I'd seen said we were to have rain while in Montana.

As soon as the new crew was aboard, we added a private car. I enjoyed watching over the Conductor's shoulder as he communicated over the radio to the engineer. His radio was not working properly so he had to repeat his distance-to-private car transmission need to be repeated often.

Belton-West Glacier, MT, Station

Our first sight of mountains inside Glacier National Park.

This ends Part I. Now go to Part II for pictures and report on the Izaak Walton Inn.

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