Photo Courtesy: Eagle Cap Trains

The Amtrak Experience

Three Amtrak lines operate in the Pacific Northwest: A regional system follows the Interstate 5 corridor and two long-distance trains progress to distant cities.

The Amtrak Cascades maintains an integrated schedule, with both standard and business-class seating, and express buses serving 18 cities from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia. There are 12 daily trips between Portland and Seattle, and these Wi-Fi-enabled trains also provide convenient travel for sports fans attending Seattle’s Mariners baseball and Seahawks football games.

While the Amtrak Cascades supports shorter trips, two others go the distance. The Coast Starlight follows the same tracks from Seattle to Eugene before going south to Klamath Falls and California, with stops along the way to its final destination of Los Angeles.

The Empire Builder originates in both Seattle and Portland before joining together in Spokane. This conjoined train then continues on to Sandpoint, Idaho, and a two-day journey to Chicago.

Those with economical coach reservations can make each seat space their own for the duration of their rides. Sleeping cars are available with higher-priced private roomettes and bedrooms, each offering showers and dining car menus overseen by an onboard chef.

The Lounge Car is open to all for drinks and snacks. Travelers can also climb a few steps and settle into unassigned seats in the Sightseer Lounge where floor-to-ceiling windows expose panoramic landscapes—and with no access to Wi-Fi, the opportunity to disconnect is offered.

Photo Courtesy: Amtrak Cascades

Amtrak Vacations & Day Trips

Allison and Jack Nichols, recent Empire Builder riders, extended their travel plan when they booked an Amtrak Vacations package to Whitefish, Montana, and Glacier National Park. The couple, from Tualatin, Oregon, bundled destination lodging, a car rental and a chauffeured national park tour with their sleeping car train tickets.

“Our terrific tour guide was amazing,” Allison said. “We were so impressed with his knowledge of the area. I could have listened to him for days.”

Day Trips

Short rail lines that once served the Pacific Northwest by shipping timber, ore and even gold now carry day trippers along backcountry tracks. Five excursion trains operating across Oregon revive railroad traditions with rides that display remote landscapes, demonstrate the roles trains played decades ago, and reenact history. There are regularly scheduled train rides on most lines, as well as special events and holiday trains.

“We have a magnificent group of volunteers who come in once a month to ‘rob’ the train for us,” said Kim Svaty, depot manager for the Sumpter Valley Railroad in Eastern Oregon. The High Country Outlaws, as Svaty calls them, portray the McCarty Gang, who in 1892 robbed a train of cash and gold dust along the same path the Sumpter line follows today.

The Sumpter Valley Railroad’s restored original wood-fired steam locomotive follows a narrow-gauge track as it revisits its logging and mining roots during regularly scheduled runs between McEwen and Sumpter when not getting held up by “bandits.”

Another short line, the Eagle Cap train starts in Elgin and travels alongside the Grande Ronde and Wallowa rivers on tracks that once served the local timber industry. Don’t be surprised to see rafters and fly fishers along the Wallowa extend a wave as the train passes by. And watch out: The High Country Outlaws prowl here as well.

In the Columbia Gorge, the Mt. Hood Railroad shuttles guests up the Hood River to Pine Grove and the vibrant fruit-growing region. Conductor Dennis Giacino, a former history teacher, punches train tickets and shares stories. With equal parts entertainment and education, he describes the ride from the city of Hood River to The Fruit Company’s processing facility 5.5 miles up the track.

“We are a unique experience in that we have some of the most beautiful views,” said depot administrator Tamara Wiley. “You can see Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood [from the facility]. You’re also able to purchase locally grown fresh fruit.”

Visitors can also enjoy ocean views while riding the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad near Tillamook. The Santiam Excursion Train, meanwhile, rekindles logging history between Lebanon and Sweet Home in Linn County.