Hi-Line Living: Empire Builder closes in on a century

Tensions about funding and operations of long-distance rail only underscores the legacy that service has on Montana's Hi-Line.

At the National Rail Passengers Association Northwest Division annual meeting in Cut Bank last weekend, part of the discussion was of the importance of passenger rail service and its continuation in the United States, but a large portion was also celebrating the 90th anniversary of The Empire Builder, the premiere passenger rail service that has run from Chicago to Seattle and Portland since 1929.

The train was named in honor of Great Northern Railway founder James J....