Checked Baggage at NYP

[snapshot]

Next Month I will be traveling to Atlanta. I will be taking the 280 into NYP and the 19 to Atlanta in the same day.

I want to check one bag on the 19.

My questions

Where do u drop off your checked luggage?

Are there signs at Penn?

It says it needs to be dropped off 45 minutes before departure but what if 280 is late does that mean if under the 45 minute rule i cannot check my baggage?

I will be having a sleeper so can this all be done in the lounge?

Can red cap assist me here?

any advice and tips would be great Thank you...

 

[StriderGDM]

The baggage area is right near the lounge. And yes, if you're less than 45 minutes, you're out of luck.

I've never tried checking my luggage in the lounge. I don't think you can, but I could be wrong.

 

[Train2104]

If you don't need the luggage the day before, consider checking the luggage at your home station the morning prior to avoid connection hassles. (or check it before catching 280 and get it on the next day's 19 at ATL) The luggage would go on train 48, and as such, is only possible at Buffalo-Depew, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schnectady, and Albany.

 

[snapshot]

If you don't need the luggage the day before, consider checking the luggage at your home station the morning prior to avoid connection hassles. (or check it before catching 280 and get it on the next day's 19 at ATL) The luggage would go on train 48, and as such, is only possible at Buffalo-Depew, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schnectady, and Albany.

So what you are saying is the day before my train leaves go to the Amtrak station and give them my luggage? ok, so now it is in NYP is my luggage stored safe somewhere? Anyway for me to know if it arrived safe?

 

[Thirdrail7]

If you don't need the luggage the day before, consider checking the luggage at your home station the morning prior to avoid connection hassles. (or check it before catching 280 and get it on the next day's 19 at ATL) The luggage would go on train 48, and as such, is only possible at Buffalo-Depew, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schnectady, and Albany.

So what you are saying is the day before my train leaves go to the Amtrak station and give them my luggage? ok, so now it is in NYP is my luggage stored safe somewhere? Anyway for me to know if it arrived safe?

Your luggage will go to its destination. If you are able to check it the day before, your luggage will continue to ATL where it will wait for you.

 

[chertling]

If you don't need the luggage the day before, consider checking the luggage at your home station the morning prior to avoid connection hassles. (or check it before catching 280 and get it on the next day's 19 at ATL) The luggage would go on train 48, and as such, is only possible at Buffalo-Depew, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schnectady, and Albany.

So what you are saying is the day before my train leaves go to the Amtrak station and give them my luggage? ok, so now it is in NYP is my luggage stored safe somewhere? Anyway for me to know if it arrived safe?

Your luggage will go to its destination. If you are able to check it the day before, your luggage will continue to ATL where it will wait for you.

I used a similar trick when on a multi city trip (KCY-CHI-WAS-PHI-NYP-BOS-WAS-CHI-STL) several years back. Each day upon arrival in a new city, I'd retrieve my large suitcase, swap a day's worth of clothes into my backpack, put the prior day's dirty clothes in the suitcase and immediately recheck it to the next city. While the LD Trains I rode on that trip had checked luggage service, none of the NE Corridor trains I rode did. So my bag rode on the overnight train and was always there for me in the next city. Unlike at the airports, my experience is that Amtrak does check claim tickets... so your bag should still be there when you arrive.

 

[the_traveler]

That's may work out (it usually does), but than it may not sometimes.

Say you're on the SL arriving into LAX and connecting to the CS. Normally the 5+ hours is fine, so you just check your bag to LAX. But this day, the SL is 5 1/2 hours late and pulls in and you're told to do an across the platform transfer to board the CS so it can depart. You never go into the station, and of course never wait the 15-30 minutes for the checked bags to make it on the belt.

So your options are 1) get your bag and wait until the next day's CS and hope there is space at a reasonable fare {remember that a guaranteed connection does not include time for retrieving checked baggage in between trains} or 2) get on the CS and arrive in PDX but your checked bag is still at LAX.

(Full disclosure - I have also done this. Luckily, all my trains arrived with enough time so it was no problem.)

 

[Chatter163]

Last summer I was going NYP--CUS--NOL--ATL. I checked a suitcase to ATL when I arrived at NYP and just took a carry-on with me, It was waiting for me in ATL. You just go to the ticket counter and present the claim stub, telling them that the suitcase should already be there.

 

[Rincewind]

That's may work out (it usually does), but than it may not sometimes.

Say you're on the SL arriving into LAX and connecting to the CS. Normally the 5+ hours is fine, so you just check your bag to LAX. But this day, the SL is 5 1/2 hours late and pulls in and you're told to do an across the platform transfer to board the CS so it can depart. You never go into the station, and of course never wait the 15-30 minutes for the checked bags to make it on the belt.

So your options are 1) get your bag and wait until the next day's CS and hope there is space at a reasonable fare {remember that a guaranteed connection does not include time for retrieving checked baggage in between trains} or 2) get on the CS and arrive in PDX but your checked bag is still at LAX.

(Full disclosure - I have also done this. Luckily, all my trains arrived with enough time so it was no problem.)

But if you it the way chertling described your luggage should always arrive before you. I was the first one to pick up my luggage in LAX, because it was already waiting in the Amtrak office.

 

[the_traveler]

That is very true. If you check it to depart the day before, it will arrive the same time you do. Also if you take a less direct route (such as WAS to CHI via a regional/LSL or CHI to LAX via TE/SL), the bag may be sent directly (on the CL or SWC) and arrive before you do!

 

[Seaboard92]

If you check it the day prior it will go on 48 and then be on your 19. But it has to be in the station in time for that days 48

 

[sechs]

I've had no issues with checking ahead of time in the past. If you have any question, call you local station and ask them.

On time going from WAS to NYP, I checked my bag ahead to catch one of the Silver service trains. I met up with some friends for lunch and then caught a later train to New York.

Had an acquaintance who was moving and checked boxes at Baltimore the night before leaving as she was taking a Regional. Don't know which trains they took, but they arrived with her at her destination.

When I lived close to the train station in San Jose, I used to check bags the night before taking a morning train, just so that I could snag a few more Zs. Except for quizzical looks a few times, never any problems.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

When I was in college a very long time ago, I always checked the luggage ahead of time. Saved me waiting for it to be unloaded, so I was first in line to clear it through Canada customs.