Checking Bag But Not Riding

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I'm planning a trip from Cary, NC, to Los Angeles, CA. If I could, I would take 92/29/3, but since there is no official connection between 92 and 29, I have to drive to DC. It would be much easier schlepping if I could check some luggage for the entirety of the trip, but do it so that it gets to DC the day before 29 leaves. I doubt that this is "legal", but I can't find anything in Amtrak's baggage policy that says baggage can only be checked for trains that you're actually riding.

I did something similar last year. I got on 8 at Whitefish, with tickets for 8, 48 and 91, but I checked my bags all the way through. I didn't point out to the agent that I would be staying overnight in Chicago. So my bags actually got to Cary one day before I did. It's not the same thing, but my bags did travel on a train on which I was not aboard.

jb
 
If you have Amtrak tickets for the entirety of the route, I'd imagine Amtrak would be willing to check it through. It might get to the destination earlier, but I've done it where my luggage takes a different route than I do. They also seem to be okay with the overnights, because sometimes they're required and sometimes people prefer them to ensure no missed connections.

However, if there's no ticket for part of the journey, you'd probably have to pay Amtrak Express rates to have the luggage sent through to wherever your trip starts. Thus, if you're driving to DC and don't have an Amtrak ticket for a Cary, NC to Washington, DC train that would logically be part of that trip, they won't take the luggage in Cary unless you've paid for Amtrak Express.
 
If you have a ticket from NC to LAX, just show the agent all of your tickets when checking prior to that earlier trains departure. It will then be carried on that earlier train. It may or may not make it in time in WAS to connect to 29. If it does, it may arrive in LAX a day before you do.

Many from upstate NYS have done similar to this. Say they are going from ALB to Florida and want to check their bags, but the Empire Service trains do not offer checked baggage service. However, the LSL does. So they check their bags the night before, and it’s held at NYP until the Florida train departs. Then the passengers can board the Empire Service train to NYP from ALB the next day!
 
Depending on the Amtrak Express rates, you might consider buying a coach ticket to DC a day or so before so as to be able to load the bag(s).
 
I dunno, it seems like the path of least resistance is simply put it in your car, drive to DC, and check the bag there.

Why make an extra trip to the Cary train station the day before, not to mention spend more? Whether you buy a coach ticket for your bag, or use Amtrak Express, either way you've completely negated the Amtrak benefit of offering free checked bags. At a certain point it would just make more sense to send it parcel post.
 
I dunno, it seems like the path of least resistance is simply put it in your car, drive to DC, and check the bag there.

Why make an extra trip to the Cary train station the day before, not to mention spend more? Whether you buy a coach ticket for your bag, or use Amtrak Express, either way you've completely negated the Amtrak benefit of offering free checked bags. At a certain point it would just make more sense to send it parcel post.

It's a little more complicated. I'd be taking 29 on Thanksgiving day. That means dropping the rental car off. But doing so at the station might be difficult if the rental agencies are closed. That would mean dropping the car off at the airport and then taking the Metro if it's running, or a taxi, all the while schlepping. The alternative would be to park the car in the pay garage at the station, drop off the bags, and then go to the airport, etc...

The thing that makes it difficult is that the rental car has to be dropped off on Thanksgiving day. Dropping the car off using a drop-box is unacceptable if an extra day is charged because the office happens to be closed.

jb
 
I won't say that it would never happen, but I can't imagine that they would let you do it without having a ticket for that leg (or paying some fee to send it via Amtrak Express, essentially.) Since you're not a ticketed passenger on Amtrak until DC, they won't let you check it in before DC.
 
Depending on the Amtrak Express rates, you might consider buying a coach ticket to DC a day or so before so as to be able to load the bag(s).

But on a different reservation number so the rest of your trip doesn't get canceled for being a no-show on the first leg.
 
It's a little more complicated. I'd be taking 29 on Thanksgiving day. That means dropping the rental car off. But doing so at the station might be difficult if the rental agencies are closed. That would mean dropping the car off at the airport and then taking the Metro if it's running, or a taxi, all the while schlepping. The alternative would be to park the car in the pay garage at the station, drop off the bags, and then go to the airport, etc...

The thing that makes it difficult is that the rental car has to be dropped off on Thanksgiving day. Dropping the car off using a drop-box is unacceptable if an extra day is charged because the office happens to be closed.

jb

Perhaps drop the car at the nearest location (airport, mayhap?) and LYFT or UBER to the train. Probably cheaper than paying the ridiculous extra day charge.
 
It's a little more complicated. I'd be taking 29 on Thanksgiving day. That means dropping the rental car off. But doing so at the station might be difficult if the rental agencies are closed. That would mean dropping the car off at the airport and then taking the Metro if it's running, or a taxi, all the while schlepping. The alternative would be to park the car in the pay garage at the station, drop off the bags, and then go to the airport, etc...

The thing that makes it difficult is that the rental car has to be dropped off on Thanksgiving day. Dropping the car off using a drop-box is unacceptable if an extra day is charged because the office happens to be closed.

jb

METRO will definitely run on Thanksgiving Day (holiday schedules here). I don't personally find it a big deal to haul a suitcase on the METRO, but your mileage may vary.

But I wouldn't assume car rental places at Union Station will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. I did a dummy booking on the Hertz and Enterprise websites, and both allowed me to schedule a rental at Union Station on Thanksgiving. (Budget did not). So you might not have the hassle of returning the car at the airport, depending on what rental agency you use.
 
I did a dummy booking on the Hertz and Enterprise websites, and both allowed me to schedule a rental at Union Station on Thanksgiving.
In my experience car rental reservations can mean surprisingly little when push comes to shove. What actually happens when you arrive or drop off can be a world of difference from what the booking claims.

 
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