Some news about the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Empire Builder:
SOURCE:
http://www.amtrak.com/press/atk20040603060.html
06/03/04 - 75 Years of Essential Empire Builder Service
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Fourth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002-4285
www.amtrak.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations
202-906-3860
ATK-04-060
June 3, 2004
75 YEARS OF ESSENTIAL EMPIRE BUILDER SERVICE
Amtrak & others celebrate northernmost U.S. transcontinental train
WASHINGTON – The Amtrak Empire Builder - one of the great trains in American history - will celebrate its 75th anniversary of service across seven states between Chicago and Seattle/Portland, beginning on June 11, 2004.
Events are scheduled to recognize the historic and vital transportation link at each of the three Empire Builder endpoints - Chicago, Seattle and Portland - and at the Milwaukee; St. Paul-Minneapolis; Edmonds, Everett, Wenatchee, Bingen (Wash.); Minot (N.Dak,); Havre and Whitefish (Mont.) stations. The events in North Dakota and Montana will be held on June 12, which is the day the westbound Empire Builder will arrive in those two states after departing Chicago on the 11th.
National, state and local officials will speak to the public and be available to the news media at each of the 12 designated stops. The events are scheduled to begin shortly before the scheduled departure of each train.
Passengers riding in either direction on Empire Builder trains originating on June 11th will receive a complimentary gift package commemorating the anniversary of the train. The westbound train will feature an Empire Builder history lecture between Chicago and Milwaukee by author Joe Welsh, along with lectures and autograph sessions by Empire Builder poster artist J. Craig Thorpe between Chicago and Seattle.
Both Welsh and Thorpe will speak in the only remaining dome car in Amtrak service, car number 10031, which is a former Great Northern Railway "Great Dome" car previously used on the Empire Builder. The car is usually used in charter service on the West Coast and rarely operates east of the Rocky Mountains.
At Seattle, rail historian John Strauss will speak at a King Street Station ceremony for the eastbound train on June 11th. Strauss worked for Great Northern Railway as an Empire Builder Traveling Passenger Representative in the 1950s and '60s, witnessing many of the changes in rail service on the Empire Builder during those years.
"The Empire Builder is an essential public transportation connection across the upper United States," said Amtrak President and CEO David L. Gunn. "We are the steward of three-quarters of a century of reliable passenger train service to an otherwise isolated area of the nation."
There are still coach class tickets available in most locations for the Empire Builder trains originating June 11, but some First class accommodations have sold out. So far this year, more than 230,000 passengers have ridden the Empire Builder, an increase of 7.6 percent. Last fiscal year (Oct. 2002-Sept. 2003), the Empire Builder carried 415,722, an increase of 12.9 percent.
Information booths and historical displays will be staffed by Great Northern Railway Historical Society members at Amtrak stations at St. Paul-Minneapolis; Havre, Shelby, East Glacier, West Glacier, Essex and Whitefish (Mont.), Seattle and Portland.
The James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul will host a luncheon on June 10th in honor of the Empire Builder. Guest speaker is Dr. James H. Larson, President of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society (GNRHS).
Inaugurated amid much fanfare by the Great Northern Railway (GN) in 1929, the Empire Builder has been providing vital transcontinental service since 10 p.m. Central Time, June 10, 1929, when the first Empire Builder train departed Chicago. The train carries the nickname of James J. Hill, a Canadian who was dubbed The Empire Builder for building the GN.
The train was originally operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (later the Burlington Northern Railroad) from Chicago to St. Paul. Departing St. Paul (location of the GN corporate offices), the Empire Builder was operated entirely by the Great Northern, to Seattle and Portland via Glacier National Park
The first eastbound Empire Builder departed Seattle at 10 p.m. Pacific Time, June 11, 1929.
At the time, Great Northern advertising proudly declared the westbound Empire Builder would make the trip from Chicago to Seattle in only 63 hours. Today's Empire Builder, operated by Amtrak, connects the same cities in just 47 hours, boasting an above average on-time performance with the assistance of the two freight railroads that dispatch the train, the Canadian Pacific Railway between Chicago and St. Paul and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) between St. Paul and Seattle/Portland.
Locally known as the "High Line," the BNSF route is far from any freeway or expressway, with sparse air service and limited motorcoach options. A study carried out for the state of Montana found the Empire Builder has a total economic impact in that state of nearly $14 million, provides good-paying jobs, reduces highway maintenance and brings in at least $5 million tourist dollars a year.
The Empire Builder also draws customers from across the border in Canada, since passenger rail service in some of the western Canadian provinces operates far from the U.S. border.
Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit
www.amtrak.com.
Also:
From the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune (June 4, 2004):
"The 75th anniversary of the Empire Builder, the historic railroad route between Chicago and Seattle via St. Paul, got a mention in Congress on Thursday, thanks to a resolution introduced by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn."
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Amtrak's Empire Builder rail line. (Introduced in House)
HCON 442 IH
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 442
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Amtrak's Empire Builder rail line.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 3, 2004
Ms. MCCOLLUM submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Amtrak's Empire Builder rail line.
Whereas on June 11, 1929, the Great Northern Railroad's premier passenger train, the Empire Builder, began operating between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington;
Whereas prominent Minnesotan and Great Northern's founder, James J. Hill, himself known as the Empire Builder, once said of his railroad `When we are all dead and gone, the sun will shine, the rain will fall, and the railroad will run as usual';
Whereas the Empire Builder, now operated by Amtrak, today travels between Seattle, Washington, or Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, by way of Spokane, Washington, and St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Whereas the Empire Builder serves 45 stations, including two in Illinois, six in Wisconsin, six in Minnesota, seven in North Dakota, twelve in Montana, one in Idaho, ten in Washington, and one in Oregon;
Whereas over 415,000 people rode the Empire Builder last year;
Whereas nearly 3,000 people work for Amtrak in Empire Builder States;
Whereas Amtrak expended over $103,000,000 in goods and services in Empire Builder States in fiscal year 2003;
Whereas the Empire Builder follows the trail of Lewis and Clark's historic expedition west through the Louisiana Territory;
Whereas the Empire Builder provides grand views of our country's natural heritage, such as the Mississippi River, the North Dakota plains, Big Sky country in Montana, the Columbia River gorge, the Cascade Mountains, and Puget Sound; and
Whereas the Empire Builder takes passengers to the Sears Tower, the Wisconsin Dells, the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the North Dakota State Fair, Glacier National Park, the Grand Coulee Dam, and Seattle's Space Needle: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress recognizes--
(1) the important economic, historic, and cultural contributions of Amtrak's Empire Builder to the 45 cities and 8 States which it visits; and
(2) Amtrak's Empire Builder rail line's 75th Anniversary.
Where are all the extra cars in SEA? Shouldn't their be a spare Coach and Sleeper. When are you leaving for OMA? At least the Crew made up for it.