OAKDALE, Wis. – The engineer put the brakes on the Empire Builder after the conductor radioed to the front end that a passenger was demanding access to an off-limits section of the train and wielding a knife. Once the train had halted, The Amtrak crew threw him off. This was about 6:45 p.m. A short time later, the State Patrol picked him up walking along Highway 12-16. At the Monroe County Jail he was identified and booked as Timothy Thomas, 31, of Portland, Oregon. Meanwhile, the train proceeded eight miles to it scheduled stop in Tomah and on to LaCrosse, Winona and points west, including Portland. The train originated in Chicago.
Thomas. Unruly aboard west-bound Empire Builder