Uploaded October 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
On September 18, 2013, I checked out of the Izaak Walton Inn and returned to Whitefish, Montana, to catch the westbound Empire Builder for Seattle. The day was gray and drizzly and I had some time to kill before the scheduled 9:16pm departure. After a burger and a beer for dinner, I dropped off the rental car and headed for the depot only to learn that the train was running late. That gave me a chance to record some rail action from the platform as I waited.
There's a crew change point at the west end of the platform so most freights stop here to swap personnel. I caught an eastbound stack/trailer train as it pulled away, a westbound unit grain train as it pulled in and later as it left. Another grain train departed eastbound only to go into emergency and stop before it cleared the yard. It was still sitting there as The Builder finally pulled in an hour and a half late.
On September 18, 2013, I checked out of the Izaak Walton Inn and returned to Whitefish, Montana, to catch the westbound Empire Builder for Seattle. The day was gray and drizzly and I had some time to kill before the scheduled 9:16pm departure. After a burger and a beer for dinner, I dropped off the rental car and headed for the depot only to learn that the train was running late. That gave me a chance to record some rail action from the platform as I waited.
There's a crew change point at the west end of the platform so most freights stop here to swap personnel. I caught an eastbound stack/trailer train as it pulled away, a westbound unit grain train as it pulled in and later as it left. Another grain train departed eastbound only to go into emergency and stop before it cleared the yard. It was still sitting there as The Builder finally pulled in an hour and a half late.
