Replying to Luggage size question

OP, I'm sorry you took offense at my suggestions. I post on forums in an attempt to be helpful and share my travel experience and knowledge with others. I stand by my recommendations and meant to be of help.

Out of curiosity I reviewed the Amtrak dimensions for carry-on, 28 inches length. Your two bags are 30 inches each? Those are extremely large bags, suitable for a months-long trip. Your trip is 4 nights long, per your above post. IMO you should take carry-on-size luggage, even one 25-inch suitcase for both of you would be more than adequate.

Another quote from a recent trip report:

Packing for a 6 week trip to snowy Colorado and sunny Florida presented a challenge. At first glance, with 3 large 62 inch (30 x 22 x 10) "airline legal" suitcases, a carry-on rolling suitcase, a medium size backpack, and a notebook case, we looked like a throw back to the transatlantic steamship era. But when you consider that two of the large suitcases contained folding bikes and the third was full of stuff my wife was unloading on our children and grandchildren and would be left behind in Denver, I think we are in line for some kind of minimalist traveler award.

I don't know of any of the crews in GRR that checks the size of the bags, but they do tend to enforce the 2 bag per person (excluding normal other bags listed in the policy) rule. You will be riding on Superliner equipment, so the luggage racks have to serve all 72 passengers! There isn't any checked baggage on the Pere Marquette, so long as you can load your bags by yourself, you should be OK.

I understand the rule Joe, but it seems unfair to those boarding there or any other station without checked baggage service. If you go from CHI to SAN, you can carry in 2 bags and check 3, for a total of 5 bags. However, if you leave from GRR (or any other station without checked baggage service), you're limited to 2 bags only!

Why are those boarding in CHI, DEN, NYP or PVD more important than those in KIN or WIP or GRR or NDL?

You hit on one of my pet peeves with Amtrak. In NPN we have two trains, one of which is an overnight and runs with a baggage car. The station is staffed. But .. it does not offer checked baggage service. Mind you, this station has 5 times the boardings and alightings of Petersburg which does offer baggage service (116K versus 21K in 2010). I'm fighting a flu bug so this may be for naught anyway but I'm supposed to head from NPN to WAS to CHI to DEN this week. And it irks the crap out of me that if I want to bring that third bag for my weeklong adventure I needed to have driven up to Richmond to check the bags. Not a happy camper.

Blue skies ..

Personal choice. We perfer to keep them as close as possible (downstairs in the luggage bin).

And when you fly...?

hessjm-Thanks for the reply. We know the station very well. We've done day trips to CHI about 10 times since Amtrak started the route from GRR. Never a long distance trip, this will be our first. We normally park in the overflow lot over near the river across Market St. We certainly will stick to the 2 bag limits of less than 50lbs each. I'll certainly say hello if you are working that Thursday next month. I am going to hope for superliner equipment, but we will be happy with any type. We're so looking forward to our trip and the entire Amtrak experience.

While KIN or GRR does not offer checked baggage, you can take it to NYP, WAS or CHI and check your 5 bags! I never have trouble finding space on the Regional for baggage! (I normally do not check bags, but I've had no problem carrying 3 bags on the Regional.)

Even though there is a Regional on the average of every 2 hours, most trains board 15-30 passengers each at KIN. Sometimes more!

And although KIN does not offer checked baggage service, it is staffed! So it is better than GRR!

I don't know of any of the crews in GRR that checks the size of the bags, but they do tend to enforce the 2 bag per person (excluding normal other bags listed in the policy) rule. You will be riding on Superliner equipment, so the luggage racks have to serve all 72 passengers! There isn't any checked baggage on the Pere Marquette, so long as you can load your bags by yourself, you should be OK.

I understand the rule Joe, but it seems unfair to those boarding there or any other station without checked baggage service. If you go from CHI to SAN, you can carry in 2 bags and check 3, for a total of 5 bags. However, if you leave from GRR (or any other station without checked baggage service), you're limited to 2 bags only!

Why are those boarding in CHI, DEN, NYP or PVD more important than those in KIN or WIP or GRR or NDL?

Dave, obviously you have never been to the sticks known as GRR I agree with you, but since it is an unmanned station there isn't anyone to tag items much to load them. On the days that I'm there, I usually help passengers with their luggage, but that does not remedy the legitimate problem you present. Sometimes there is Superliner equipment with a baggage compartment but it is not utilized. GRR is building a new station, the train will stay at the station (currently it moves several miles north to a siding to return in the morning), and maybe then they will make it a staffed station. Generally we board somewhere between 40 - 100 passengers a day, so I think it should be manned and have checked baggage, that said, it is quite a privilege to be of equal status to KIN

I don't know of any of the crews in GRR that checks the size of the bags, but they do tend to enforce the 2 bag per person (excluding normal other bags listed in the policy) rule. You will be riding on Superliner equipment, so the luggage racks have to serve all 72 passengers! There isn't any checked baggage on the Pere Marquette, so long as you can load your bags by yourself, you should be OK.

I understand the rule Joe, but it seems unfair to those boarding there or any other station without checked baggage service. If you go from CHI to SAN, you can carry in 2 bags and check 3, for a total of 5 bags. However, if you leave from GRR (or any other station without checked baggage service), you're limited to 2 bags only!

Why are those boarding in CHI, DEN, NYP or PVD more important than those in KIN or WIP or GRR or NDL?

28" (officially) or 30 " for a carry-on bag? They won't care! Nobody stands by the car's door with a measuring tape for carry-on bags! Now if it is checked, or if it 6' long, they may question it, but for 2", I or they probably would not even notice.

So please FunNut, give debmep a little slack!

I don't know of any of the crews in GRR that checks the size of the bags, but they do tend to enforce the 2 bag per person (excluding normal other bags listed in the policy) rule. You will be riding on Superliner equipment, so the luggage racks have to serve all 72 passengers! There isn't any checked baggage on the Pere Marquette, so long as you can load your bags by yourself, you should be OK.

You should arrive at least 30 minutes early, as the parking lot tends fill up and the train arrives arround 7:20 and normally blocks Market Street. If the lot does fill up, DO NOT park right across the street; that is MichCon and they will tow your car ! Additional Amtrak parking is on the opposite corner of Wealthy and Market.

I'm usually at the station helping to load on Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday, so I hope to see then.