Baggage Racks

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If there are no valuables why would you need to lock them to the luggage rack? There's not an easy or obvious way to lock most luggage down and even if you could it would interfere with other passengers trying to add and remove their own luggage along the way. In all my travels the luggage has still been there when I was ready to disembark and the few times it was messed with it seemed to be children doing it. A few zip ties should be enough to keep curious hands at bay.

It's possible in Superliner coach. The thought did cross my mind on California cars, where some are open bin and some are airline overhead style with doors. However, very few people I saw ever used them, although I'm thinking there were a lot more people with luggage on the San Joaquin.

But there are those metal separators on Superliner coach cars that could theoretically take a loop lock.

1024px-Upper_Level_of_Superliner_I.jpg
 
It's possible in Superliner coach. The thought did cross my mind on California cars, where some are open bin and some are airline overhead style with doors. However, very few people I saw ever used them, although I'm thinking there were a lot more people with luggage on the San Joaquin.

But there are those metal separators on Superliner coach cars that could theoretically take a loop lock.

1024px-Upper_Level_of_Superliner_I.jpg
They’re talking about the downstairs luggage rack in the sleeper cars.
 
Depending on how big the bags are the train attendant might want you to check them. It is hard for them to arrange the small area for baggage for everyone's bags and they dont want to be moving big bags and they take up way too much room. And chaining them together might make them ask you to unchain them and it would also be a sign that there is something of value in them. One idea would be to get not so nice looking luggage so it will draw less attention. If I am on a LD train I will go through my luggage for a change in clothes and also the first night to get my blanket and pillow which I will then keep by my seat the rest of the trip. So people do get in their luggage....
 
Depending on how big the bags are the train attendant might want you to check them. It is hard for them to arrange the small area for baggage for everyone's bags and they dont want to be moving big bags and they take up way too much room. And chaining them together might make them ask you to unchain them and it would also be a sign that there is something of value in them. One idea would be to get not so nice looking luggage so it will draw less attention. If I am on a LD train I will go through my luggage for a change in clothes and also the first night to get my blanket and pillow which I will then keep by my seat the rest of the trip. So people do get in their luggage....
Checking requires that both locations handle checked bags and Amtrak in recent years has seen to decide that they don't want to deal with them by removing local agents and not coming up with an alternate solution.

In their favor, however, they have made sure that at times the car attendants will stand there and watch elderly and disabled passengers struggle with bags they used to be able to check while sometimes chastising them for being so slow that the departure is being delayed.
 
Checking requires that both locations handle checked bags and Amtrak in recent years has seen to decide that they don't want to deal with them by removing local agents and not coming up with an alternate solution.

In their favor, however, they have made sure that at times the car attendants will stand there and watch elderly and disabled passengers struggle with bags they used to be able to check while sometimes chastising them for being so slow that the departure is being delayed.
I would hope in that instance that a young man would offer to help if not to be nice than to move things along.
 
I would hope in that instance that a young man would offer to help if not to be nice than to move things along.
I have helped - even though I am short, overweight, in my 70s and not a big exerciser. In sleepers, one doesn't find many young men or women who would happen to be there when someone needs help. Mostly, just more of us old people.
 
I would hope in that instance that a young man would offer to help if not to be nice than to move things along.
Many times a young man or not so young man is there to help but sadly they are usually fellow passengers and not Amtrak employees. I recall an elderly lady struggling to board once at Flagstaff and was able to do so only with the assistance of two passengers. The car attendant stood by and offered no assistance.
 
If checked baggage is offered at both stations, that would remove the concern of other passengers being able to go through your luggage - the luggage car is not accessible to passengers and thus they couldn't steal your bag while in transit. However, that only works if you don't need access to your bag during the trip. If your home station doesn't have checked baggage, but your destination does, and you're transferring trains, you could check the bags at the transfer point, time permitting.

That said, I haven't had an issue with people stealing stuff out of luggage, either in coach or in sleeper compartments. I'm sure it has happened, but it's relatively rare. There's also nothing to lock your luggage to on the luggage racks (as stated before,) and chaining two pieces of luggage together may cause issues if luggage needs to be moved around to more efficiently use space, or if there's not enough space to have the bags side-by-side. One option could be to use a colored zip tie to hold the zippers together on a piece of luggage - while it wouldn't stop a determined thief, it'd be a clear way to see if someone's tampered with your luggage (they can't simply re-lock it, and it's unlikely a thief would have the same-colored zip tie if it's not just the generic clear/white ones) and it'd slow down a theft of opportunity (they'd still have to snap it off, and it'll likely be easier to look through some other luggage that's not locked rather than have to snip off the zip tie and make it obvious that it's been looked through.) Most luggage locks are pretty weak anyways, and I'm not convinced that people would really say much if they saw someone looking through a bag that was simply linked to a second bag - it'd be odd, sure, but I kind of doubt that most people would report it any more than if the bag was on its own.
 
Many times a young man or not so young man is there to help but sadly they are usually fellow passengers and not Amtrak employees. I recall an elderly lady struggling to board once at Flagstaff and was able to do so only with the assistance of two passengers. The car attendant stood by and offered no assistance.
Ive tried to help myself when it is needed but Im not as able as a big man would be but do what I can. I changed seats with an older couple as the lady wanted the front seats in coach with more room and I was happy to trade with her. Most people I have met have been nice. :)
 
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