Essex station (Montana)

Essex station is a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder line in Essex, Montana. Essex has a year-round population of less than 50; most passengers are visitors to the nearby historic Izaak Walton Inn located about 3⁄10 mile (0.48 km) away.^[6][7]

Essex, MT
Essex station platform in May 2017
General information
Location	290 Izaak Walton Inn Road Essex, Montana United States
Coordinates	48.27525°N 113.61030°W / 48.27525; -113.61030
Owned by	BNSF Railway/Izaak Walton Inn
Line(s)	BNSF Hi Line Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: ESM
History
Opened	June 18, 1893 (Great Northern Railway)[1][2] March 1985 (Amtrak; conditional stop)[3] November 1985 (Amtrak; flag stop)[4]
Passengers
FY 2023	1,009[5] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station West Glacier toward Seattle or Portland Empire Builder East Glacier Park (April–October) toward Chicago Browning (October–April) toward Chicago
Location

There currently is no station building at Essex, passengers are shuttled directly to the Inn.

Essex is a flag stop. That is, the stop is skipped in the event that there are no passengers listed in Amtrak’s digital reservation system to alight or board at the station.

Between 1970 and 1985 there were no regular stops at Essex.^[4] In late 2010, Amtrak built a concrete platform with embedded heating coils for automatic snow clearance to replace the former asphalt platform, and also added additional lighting and fencing.

References

1. Allen, W.F. (1893). Travelers Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines in the United States and Canada. New York, New York: National Railway Publication Company. p. 500. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
2. "The Railroads". The Detroit Free Press. June 18, 1893. p. 19. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Historic Inn to Receive Rail Service". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. March 10, 1985. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Essex Inn Amtrak Flag Stop". The Independent-Record. Helena, Montana. November 12, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Montana" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
6. "Amtrak - Great American Stations". Amtrak. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
7. Grau, Kara; Bruns-Dubois, Melissa; Nickerson, Norma P. (December 2006). "The Economic Review of the Travel Industry in Montana" (PDF). Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2007-02-01.

External links

Media related to Essex (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Essex, MT – Amtrak
• Essex, MT – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Essex Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)