Checked baggage on train changes...

[Bobalski]

I'm travelling LAX-BOS with a 6hr layover and train change in CHI. Also the BOS-NOL leg with a train change and brief stopover in NYP.

Is your checked baggage checked thru like on an airline, or do you need to retrieve your bags and re check them?

Cheers

 

[the_traveler]

If you check you baggage straight thru, and both your originating and destination station offer checked baggage service (which both must offer in order for them to check your bags), your baggage will be transfered between trains for you!

One note for you Bobalski: Although Boston is marked as offering checked baggage service, there are only 2 trains a day that offer it! One is the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, and the other is the overnight Regional to New York and Washington! If you check your bags in Boston, they will be carried on one of these trains, and will get to you in New Orleans. However, it may be a day later than you arrive!

My suggestion is to hand carry your baggage between BOS and NYP - and check it in NYP!

Amtrak trains have a luggage rack above your seat (which is MUCH larger than you will find on a plane) and also luggage storage at the end of the car! If necessary, use a Red Cap to carry your bags for you. They will carry your bags right to and from the Car, and in NYP right to the baggage check-in area. I tip them $1-$2 US per bag for their help. If your bags are heavy or large, it is well worth the money spent!

One more thing: If you are either arriving or departing via a sleeper (bedroom or roomette) into or out of Chicago, Boston or New York, you are entitled to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago, or the Club Acelas (CA) in Boston and New York. There are no sleepers out of Boston (going south), but if you have a same day sleeper out of NYP, you can use the CA in BOS too!

These are Amtrak's version of an airline's First Class lounge, but do not even try to compare the two. But it is a respite from the hustle and bustle of the regular waiting area!

Finally, enjoy your trip!

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Is there any instance where a station you are transferring at doesnt offer checked baggages?

 

[the_traveler]

Is there any instance where a station you are transferring at doesnt offer checked baggages?

No!

But there may be a case (using me as an example) such as going from PDX (Portland, OR) to KIN (Kingston, RI). PDX offers checked baggage service. The bags would be switched in CHI and NYP or WAS. However, because KIN does not offer checked baggage service, I could not check my bags to KIN.

I could (if I wanted to do so) check them to CHI, NYP or WAS, but a guaranteed connection does not include time to retrieve your bags, if the train is late! If you miss your connecting train because you're waiting to claim your bags, you're out of luck! If you need to stay overnight, Amtrak will not pay for your hotel!

 

[FunNut]

My trip is Flagstaff to NYP on the SW Chief, change in CHI to Cap Ltd, and change in WAS to NE Regional. The first two trains have luggage check, the final train does not and there is a two-hour layover there.

Will the station at FLG be willing to check my bag to WAS, then I pick it up there and schlep it myself on the final leg? The Amtrak agent was quite waffly when I asked the question. Is this going to be one of those deals where how they're feeling that day will determine whether the bag can be checked? Is two hours enough time to get the bag in WAS? My trip is January 19th.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to start another one on such a similar topic.

 

[Acela150]

My trip is Flagstaff to NYP on the SW Chief, change in CHI to Cap Ltd, and change in WAS to NE Regional. The first two trains have luggage check, the final train does not and there is a two-hour layover there.

Will the station at FLG be willing to check my bag to WAS, then I pick it up there and schlep it myself on the final leg? The Amtrak agent was quite waffly when I asked the question. Is this going to be one of those deals where how they're feeling that day will determine whether the bag can be checked? Is two hours enough time to get the bag in WAS? My trip is January 19th.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to start another one on such a similar topic.

You can check your bag through to WAS. It will meet you in WAS. When you arrive at FLG just say I'd like to check this through to WAS.

 

[Bobalski]

If you check you baggage straight thru, and both your originating and destination station offer checked baggage service (which both must offer in order for them to check your bags), your baggage will be transfered between trains for you!

One note for you Bobalski: Although Boston is marked as offering checked baggage service, there are only 2 trains a day that offer it! One is the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, and the other is the overnight Regional to New York and Washington! If you check your bags in Boston, they will be carried on one of these trains, and will get to you in New Orleans. However, it may be a day later than you arrive!

My suggestion is to hand carry your baggage between BOS and NYP - and check it in NYP!

Amtrak trains have a luggage rack above your seat (which is MUCH larger than you will find on a plane) and also luggage storage at the end of the car! If necessary, use a Red Cap to carry your bags for you. They will carry your bags right to and from the Car, and in NYP right to the baggage check-in area. I tip them $1-$2 US per bag for their help. If your bags are heavy or large, it is well worth the money spent!

One more thing: If you are either arriving or departing via a sleeper (bedroom or roomette) into or out of Chicago, Boston or New York, you are entitled to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago, or the Club Acelas (CA) in Boston and New York. There are no sleepers out of Boston (going south), but if you have a same day sleeper out of NYP, you can use the CA in BOS too!

These are Amtrak's version of an airline's First Class lounge, but do not even try to compare the two. But it is a respite from the hustle and bustle of the regular waiting area!

Finally, enjoy your trip!

Thx traveler for such an indepth answer.

Cheers

 

[saxman]

My trip is Flagstaff to NYP on the SW Chief, change in CHI to Cap Ltd, and change in WAS to NE Regional. The first two trains have luggage check, the final train does not and there is a two-hour layover there.

Will the station at FLG be willing to check my bag to WAS, then I pick it up there and schlep it myself on the final leg? The Amtrak agent was quite waffly when I asked the question. Is this going to be one of those deals where how they're feeling that day will determine whether the bag can be checked? Is two hours enough time to get the bag in WAS? My trip is January 19th.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to start another one on such a similar topic.

The official policy is that you have to check your bag to your final destination of NYP. If they do let you short check the bag to WAS, then you are responsible for claiming it there, even if your Capitol Ltd. is late. If you do that, you may have to be prepared to take the next train to NYP if you miss it.

I would just check your bag all the way to NYP. In Chicago your bag will be transferred to the Lake Shore Ltd and arrive there at around 6 PM, probably about the time you arrive on your NE Regional from WAS.

 

[FunNut]

My trip is Flagstaff to NYP on the SW Chief, change in CHI to Cap Ltd, and change in WAS to NE Regional. The first two trains have luggage check, the final train does not and there is a two-hour layover there.

Will the station at FLG be willing to check my bag to WAS, then I pick it up there and schlep it myself on the final leg? The Amtrak agent was quite waffly when I asked the question. Is this going to be one of those deals where how they're feeling that day will determine whether the bag can be checked? Is two hours enough time to get the bag in WAS? My trip is January 19th.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to start another one on such a similar topic.

The official policy is that you have to check your bag to your final destination of NYP. If they do let you short check the bag to WAS, then you are responsible for claiming it there, even if your Capitol Ltd. is late. If you do that, you may have to be prepared to take the next train to NYP if you miss it.

I would just check your bag all the way to NYP. In Chicago your bag will be transferred to the Lake Shore Ltd and arrive there at around 6 PM, probably about the time you arrive on your NE Regional from WAS.

Ah, didn't consider this. A much better plan. Do Amtrak luggage tags specify the train numbers, the way airline bag tags do? Do I need to know the train number for the LSL? When I phoned and talked to the Amtrak agent, she told me I couldn't check luggage on my trip. I thought that sounded ridiculous. Thanks to the people who have posted here to answer my question.

 

[saxman]

My trip is Flagstaff to NYP on the SW Chief, change in CHI to Cap Ltd, and change in WAS to NE Regional. The first two trains have luggage check, the final train does not and there is a two-hour layover there.

Will the station at FLG be willing to check my bag to WAS, then I pick it up there and schlep it myself on the final leg? The Amtrak agent was quite waffly when I asked the question. Is this going to be one of those deals where how they're feeling that day will determine whether the bag can be checked? Is two hours enough time to get the bag in WAS? My trip is January 19th.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to start another one on such a similar topic.

The official policy is that you have to check your bag to your final destination of NYP. If they do let you short check the bag to WAS, then you are responsible for claiming it there, even if your Capitol Ltd. is late. If you do that, you may have to be prepared to take the next train to NYP if you miss it.

I would just check your bag all the way to NYP. In Chicago your bag will be transferred to the Lake Shore Ltd and arrive there at around 6 PM, probably about the time you arrive on your NE Regional from WAS.

Ah, didn't consider this. A much better plan. Do Amtrak luggage tags specify the train numbers, the way airline bag tags do? Do I need to know the train number for the LSL? When I phoned and talked to the Amtrak agent, she told me I couldn't check luggage on my trip. I thought that sounded ridiculous. Thanks to the people who have posted here to answer my question.

No you don't need to know the train number for that. That's the ticket agents job in Flagstaff. Normally, they will put an "NYP" tag on your bag and then put a pink "Tranfer at CHI" tag on it as well. Normally they'll write in the connecting train number on that. Sometimes they might not put the pink tag on, but since there is only one train to NYP from CHI with checked bags, the handlers in Chicago won't have any problems getting that bag to which train.

So just check your bag in Flagstaff, and the agent will do the rest. As with any bag I check (Amtrak and airlines) I always make sure they tag my bag with the right tag. So just see that it gets an "NYP" tag, and get your claim check and you're good to go.

 

[FunNut]

Saxman - thanks for your good and detailed instructions. (And I enjoyed reading about your 6 weeks on the trains.) I can't believe the Amtrak live agent told me I couldn't check my bag. It's a good thing I came here to get the scoop.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Saxman - thanks for your good and detailed instructions. (And I enjoyed reading about your 6 weeks on the trains.) I can't believe the Amtrak live agent told me I couldn't check my bag. It's a good thing I came here to get the scoop.

Chalk another one up for poor personnel training (no pun intended

. )

Being able to get answers to questions like this is part of the beauty of this site, but if users here can give the right answer, it makes you wonder about Amtrak.

Seems like they should have a computerized reference source for agents, and courses with tests at the end, to make sure the agents know how to use it. Then back that up with some sort of "quality control" to make sure the agents are doing their job!

I realize I'm dreaming, but some organizations do acheive this level of customer service.

 

[the_traveler]

Believe it or not, some agents have never ridden aboard Amtrak!

A few years ago, when AGR was outsourced to Canada, an AGR agent tole me about these "new" cars that Amtrak has that have all roomettes on the upper level on Superliners! Those are called transition dorms, and are hardly "new"!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Believe it or not, some agents have never ridden aboard Amtrak!

A few years ago, when AGR was outsourced to Canada, an AGR agent tole me about these "new" cars that Amtrak has that have all roomettes on the upper level on Superliners! Those are called transition dorms, and are hardly "new"!

Unfortunately I don't doubt a bit of what you're saying.

 

[southern]

I also have a quick question that doesn't really justify a new thread so I'm going to hijack this thread again.

Can you check your bags early at ATL? I am leaving on 19 in the morning and I figured if I drop them off the night before, I can sleep in an extra hour. Also, is checking a bag reliable? I am connecting to the Sunset Ltd in NOL, and I'm afraid my bags will be left there because of the long layover. I figure it's just like a plane, and it'll magically appear when I get off the Sunset and there will be an airport-style baggage claim area...is that about right?

 

[the_traveler]

First, yes you can check them early. They can be checked at anytime the amtrak.com site shows "checked baggage hours!

Second, it all depends on where your getting off. I know that LAX. WAS and IIRC CHI have airport style belts for baggage claim. In NYP, you enter a secured room and pick up your bags. At some other stations like Portland, OR have a baggage claim room where they place the bags for you to claim. Others like Grand Junction, CO, I've claimed my bag right off the baggage cart.

In all cases, your claim check is checked to verify that you have taken the correct bag(s)!