48 Hours On A Train: Full Amtrak Empire Builder Review

No that title is not clickbait. I did once spend 48 hours on a train travelling from Chicago to Portland non-stop. This was during my gap year, where I spent three months following housesits around the USA. And you might be surprised but it actually ended up costing me more than it would have cost to fly! 

I couldn’t find a direct flight from Chicago to Portland so I started looking at other options. I was open to adding on a 1-night layover to see another city. Then I stumbled upon Amtrak’s long-distance train routes and committed to long journey. However, I only committed mentally and put off actually booking my ticket for months. In those months of procrastination, the ticket price jumped $200 for the coach seats. Never mind a private room or sleeper car which for this specific journey would’ve set you back over a thousand bucks. In the end I paid $399/£292 for a seat in the coach car on one of the longest sleeper trains in the world. 

Originally, I’d found this route as a good alternative to flying across the country. Plus having to find somewhere to stay for two nights. None of the in between cities made sense for a layover. And once I saw this non-stop train straight across it was a no-brainer. So I committed to spending 48 hours on an Amtrak train.

But what was it actually like to spend 48 hours in an Empire Builder’s train car? Do I still think it was a good idea? Keep reading…

The Journey

Amtrak trains are really the only way to do any form of train travel around the United States. Amtrak runs more than 30 different routes across the states with many of them being overnight trains. Surprisingly the Empire Builder is not actually the longest route they offer. That title goes to the California Zephyr route which is approximately 52 hours long, taking you from Chicago Union Station to San Fransisco. This train ride features awe-inspiring views of the rocky mountains. Maybe I need to add this route to my travel bucket list! 

The route I took was the Amtrak Empire Builder route which runs from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest (Portland or Seattle). The train splits during a scheduled stop in Spokane, Washington with half of the train cars ending up in Portland and the other half in Seattle. The car attendant makes sure you are sitting in the right car for your final destination. I made sure to sit in the Portland section as I was travelling from one housesit to another. The journey is advertised as 46 hours long but due to delays I was on there for exactly 48 hours. 2 days on a train. What a crazy experience.

The train stops in 49 stations across 8 states, usually in small towns but also stops in some major cities such as Wisconsin Dells, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. It travels past the Mississippi river, across the North Dakota great plains and over the Gassman Coulee Trestle. Then passes through Glacier National Park and then if you take it to Portland like me, down the Columbia River Gorge with fab views of Mt. Hood. If you’re headed into downtown Seattle, your journey will also feature the best views of the cascade mountains. 

The Train

Amtrak’s Empire Builder typically features 4-5 double-decker train car that are made up of a sleeping car for business class passengers, two cars for coach passengers which have both a lower level and upper level featuring comfy coach seats plus a dining car and and observation car. The train has plenty of space and is one of the most enjoyable rail journeys I’ve ever been on.

The boarding process was relatively smooth at Chicago’s Union Station with crew members on hand to help you check in and board the correct car. The ticket price not only includes free personal items but also free carry-on bags. Business class customers also get lounge access at the train station included as a perk.  

​As an economy passenger, food was not included in my ticket price but you could purchase good food from the dining car or cafe car which was on the lower bunk of the observation car. Alternatively, you could bring your own food onboard. 

The Good

Now we’ve gone through the basics of the train and the journey, let’s break down the pros and cons of the taking the Amtrak Empire Builder! Starting with the good…

Comfy Seats

Amtrak seats are comfyyy! Like bougie comfy! I was slightly worried that they would be the same as train seats in the UK which are not the comfiest. But these were nice! They were big with nice armrests and a the bottom of the seat could be raised to make a pseudo-bed.

Observation Car

Probably the best thing about this train and the 48 hour journey was the carriage made entirely of panoramic windows called the Observation Car. I can hands down say the sunrises and sunsets on this train are the best I’ve ever seen! I spent a good proportion of my 48 hours in this carriage just watching the world go by, listening to a podcast. Perfect!

I’d seen photos of the Amtrak observation cars on social media and knew I was going to spend a lot of daylight hours onboard in this car just staring out of the window. Over the 48 hours onboard, I saw great views of beautiful mountain peaks from the rockies and glacier park.

Double Seats

This perk was probably down to the fact that I was onboard over Thanksgiving but the train was super quiet when I was on it so I bagged a double seat for the entire trip. At one point I almost had the entire car to myself. This meant I could pretty much completely stretch out (I’m 5”3) and actually got some sleep. Now you can buy a business class ticket that comes with a sleeper cabin but these tickets were double if not triple the price of the coach seat. Something this frugal traveller could not even fathom paying.

The economy seats were nice and features almost a full 90* recline plus the bottom half of the seat popped up to create a lounger. This meant on the first night and second night of this long rail travel adventure I did actually get some sleep. 

Read Next: Sleeping At Heathrow Terminal 5: Everything You Need To Know

The Bad

With the good comes the bad! Here are a few cons from my time on the Empire Builder…

The WiFi Doesn’t Work

I’d taken a 18-hour Amtrak before this one (NYC to Chicago) and have taken a couple more since and NOT ONCE have I got the WiFi to work! It’s a mystery to me! Maybe my phone just hated me or maybe it is just shit. But it didn’t work. So assume you’re not going to have WiFi and then it’s a pleasant perk if it actually works for you.

Lack of Communication

This is a bad point but also kinda a good one as they way they communicate is super quaint and honestly it felt like going back in time. When you board you get handed a slip of card with your end destination written on. You put this in the luggage rack above your seat so the train staff can see exactly where everyone is alighting. Then, get this, they come round just before a stop and tell people individually to get there stuff ready to alight. IMAGINE! My little English brain couldn’t get over this! Like what is this, 1840. It was super cute and quaint but also kinda annoying not to have an overall view of where we were and timings. Maybe I’m just too used to the constant overhead announcements that we have on UK trains.

Now they did have an overhead system but I think I heard maybe 5 announcements in the entire 48 hours and most were about meal times.

Expensive Prices/Limited Menu

A good thing about this train is that it has a restaurant and coffee shop on board. So you don’t have to worry about going hungry if you eat all your snacks or forget to pack them. But the menu is super limited and the prices on the more expensive side. I’m talking $7.50 for a sandwich.

However, it is a good feature especially for a journey that is this long plus the bar/coffee shop sell a range of alcoholic beverage to enjoy which is great as you can only consume your own alcohol within private sleeper cabins.

Not Really An Affordable Option

You’re probably thinking the only reason I’d agree to spend 48 hours on a train is to save some serious coin. Well in the end it didn’t work out that way. When I initially found this train journey and the idea formed in my mind, basic coach tickets were $150. I thought ok that sounds good. And comparatively a flight was around $120 plus I’d then have to find accommodation for 2 nights. So the Empire Builder was my first choice.

Obviously in true Jess fashion, I left booking the ticket to the last minute as I was still kinda holding out hope that I’d find a housesit to cover the two days. And by the time I booked it, my ticket came out to $400. Insane! Unfortunately because I was travelling over Thanksgiving, hotels and airline tickets had also gone through the roof. So I sucked it up and paid more than double the original price. That mistake still haunts me to this day and I just know if I hadn’t made that mistake I probably would have succeeded in my £5k gap year challenge.

The Essentials

As this is a multi-day journey, you will probably want a change of clothes so make sure to pack an easily accessible overnight bag. Here are some other essentials that I need you should pack too…

1.Layers

The train carriages get cold at night and I was very grateful for my long coat which I used as a blanket. But then during the day it could suddenly get super sweaty and I was hot in a t-shirt. So make sure you are wearing layers which you can easily take on and off. Maybe even consider bringing a blanket on board – that would have improved my comfort levels tremendously. 

2.Entertainment

48 hours is a long time to just stare out the window and with no wifi I was soooo thankful for past Jess who had taken the time to download a bunch of entertainment. I had all my basis covered with music, podcasts, books, films and a whole season of Below Deck to keep me entertained. Best thing about the train seats is that they had plugs so I wasn’t worried about running out of power.

3.Snacks

I hit up a Trader Joes before boarding in Chicago and stocked up on food. I knew there was going to be a cafe on board but I was apprehensive about the menu and prices (the extortionate prices proved me right) so I did a DIY picnic instead. I’m a huge snacker so it didn’t bother me to not have a “real” meal for two days. I was able to make a bunch of sandwiches before I left my housesit in Chicago so I had something other than biscuits and these chocolate covered peanut butter stuffed pretzel bites which became the best thing I discovered in the US.

4.Reusable Water Bottle

There are water machines on board and the water isn’t terrible so save yourself some coins and don’t forget your reusable water bottle. I went on step further with my reusable travel mug and secret stash of tea bags and was able to have a free brew by asking the cafe nicely for some hot water.

5.Baby Wipes

Unless you fork out for a cabin you won’t have access to a shower on board so make sure you throw in a couple things to keep yourself feeling fresh. For me this was a little toiletry bag with all the essentials so I didn’t have to cart my entire bag to the bathroom. I was able to use there actually quite roomy bathrooms to wash my face, brush my teeth and have a freshen up a few times over the 2 days I was onboard.

Would I Do It Again?

Erm yes I probably would do it again but either I wouldn’t wait so long to book the tickets or I’d splurge and get a cabin as that seems like an entirely different experience. It definitely didn’t scare me off taking trains that’s for sure.

So there you go, my Empire Builder review – the time I spent 48 hours on a train! Would you ever consider doing this? Maybe you already have?