Can I check baggage on the Iowa Pacific leg?

[andersone]

I am planning my fall 2016 expedition which starts in Huntington on the Cardinal, to Chi to catch the CONO to NOLA then back up on the Crescent and home on the Cardinal.

I have always wanted to try the Iowa Pacific flavor of the CONO.

What I really want to do is check some bags in Huntington (shows baggage service) all the way to NOLA. Can I do that if the middle leg is Iowa Pacific?

Not sure how the ticketing works,,,,,,

Your help is greatly appreciated

 

[Steve4031]

I would call Iowa pacific directly. The number is on the website.

 

[jis]

If it works it would be a very pleasant surprise.

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

They probably carry bags in Amtrak's baggage car as part of the contract with Amtrak.You may have to claim your bags and recheck them when you switch between Amtrak and Iowa Pacific.

 

[jis]

This is the sad thing about rail travel the business about having to check bags out and then check them in again. Last week I traveled by air on two separate itineraries using two different airlines, and yet they were happy to check by bag directly through including an interline transfer, and it worked just fine. I know this depends on the airlines involved, but at least it is possible with many combo of airlines. Why can't the railroads do that anymore puzzles me.

 

[neroden]

The rule of thumb for decades when I was growing up was never, ever, ever check bags between multiple airlines. The rate of lost baggage was upwards of 50%! Particularly when travelling internationally.

 

[jis]

I guess I must be lucky. I have done it many many times over the last 38 years exclusively internationally and my loss rate so far is 0%

 

[Anderson]

At a bare minimum you ought to be able to at least send the bags Amtrak Express for a fee ($10-20/bag IIRC) from end to end. You'd either need to manually transfer them in this case in CHI or NOL (though with no same-day connection in NOL that should be a non-issue) or Express them through to NOL if you're worried about a CHI connection being extremely tight. I can't say about being able to do anything with IP for sure, but even if that's not a workable option as such Amtrak is generally more than happy to sell you some slots in the baggage car.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I think that if you simply asked the check in agent you should be able to check your bags to your final destination. At some of the smaller stations that I've poked my head into the baggage room they simply have all sorts of destination tags on the wall, so I feel like if you explained your circumstances and asked nicely they would just tag it to the station you asked for. Bonus points if you had a copy of your itinerary showing your final destination.

 

[Ryan]

The Pullman site makes mention of the fact that they put some checked bags in the Amtrak baggage car.

Worst case you have to retrieve the bag at CHI and recheck it with the Pullman folks.

 

[andersone]

How about a follow up question,,,

Will I be able to use the Lounge in Chicago during the layover,,,,,,,?

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

How about a follow up question,,,

Will I be able to use the Lounge in Chicago during the layover,,,,,,,?

Yes, others have reported on trips taken and they state that the Iowa Pacific cars are actually "boarded" from the Metropolitan Lounge.