Another carry-on strictness question.

[ac21686]

I'm considering taking Amtrak to DC tomorrow. My luggage is 33" long but otherwise fits the criteria for a carry-on. It's not incredibly heavy and I can handle it without a problem. What are the chances of this being a problem for Amtrak attendants? I will also have a garment bag and a personal laptop bag. Thanks for any help.

 

[saxman]

I'm considering taking Amtrak to DC tomorrow. My luggage is 33" long but otherwise fits the criteria for a carry-on. It's not incredibly heavy and I can handle it without a problem. What are the chances of this being a problem for Amtrak attendants? I will also have a garment bag and a personal laptop bag. Thanks for any help.

You shouldn't have a problem at all. You're limited to two carry-ons plus a personal item, so you're good on all fronts.

 

[TimePeace]

I have carried on guitars, backpacks and suitcases on many trips and have never had an item either measured of weighed. As long as you look like you can handle your own stuff, I think you are ok.

 

[zephyr17]

I'm considering taking Amtrak to DC tomorrow. My luggage is 33" long but otherwise fits the criteria for a carry-on. It's not incredibly heavy and I can handle it without a problem. What are the chances of this being a problem for Amtrak attendants? I will also have a garment bag and a personal laptop bag. Thanks for any help.

Rule of thumb, if you can handle it, you can bring it on.

 

[the_traveler]

As long as it's not clearly oversized (like 6 feet long) and you can carry it, there should be no problem to carry it on! (Nobody measures or weighs carry-ons.)

 

[dlagrua]

As long as it's not clearly oversized (like 6 feet long) and you can carry it, there should be no problem to carry it on! (Nobody measures or weighs carry-ons.)

I believe that weigh ins are done only when you check baggage at a major city station. Also never had a problem with carry ons.

 

[the_traveler]

Major city or not, they always weigh checked baggage. They never weigh carry-on bags.

 

[ac21686]

Thanks all for the responses thus far. Another question. I looked through some pictures of the Acela Express and saw that their overhead luggage area is closed rather than open (from what I remember during my college years riding in coach, they were open). I take it there is more than enough room in a compartment for a 33" long luggage?

 

[the_traveler]

Except for Acela, the luggage racks are indeed open. Plus there is room at the end of the cars (on single level trains) or a luggage bin on the lower level (on Superliners) to place your bags also! You should have no trouble with your carry-on bags!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

My experience has been similar to most of the responses here. Namely, that anything you can easily take on or off yourself is generally considered acceptable. I do my best to travel light but I've also traveled with folks who carry far more than I do and they didn't ever get hassled about it. However, there have also been posts by Amtrak staff warning that Amtrak's easy-going attitude toward carry-on luggage is likely to get a lot stricter in the future. Just thought you might want to keep in mind that what is allowed today is unlikely to be allowed forever. I happen to think that Amtrak would be shooting themselves in the foot if they got too strict about this, but every other passenger service has gotten a lot stricter about luggage so it's not that hard to imagine Amtrak following suit eventually.

 

[Greg]

I once carried a 6' wooden fertility goddess (supposedly from the Ivory Coast) from NYP to WAS on one of the regionals. She had a garbage bag over her head and her teats were hanging out of the garbage bag at the bottom. The Amtrak staff merely laughed at me. Luckily the train was not crowded so i kept her at the seat with me. she was tall but skinny

 

[EB_OBS]

I'm not aware of Amtrak making stricter baggage policies. However enforcing current checked and carry-on baggage limits is talked about a lot lately.

The other night this lady asked me for help at the station to get her stuff up to the platform and onto the train. I said sure. As we walked to her stuff and I seen the mountain she had piled upon the cart I asked her where she was going. She had 3 large bags, one small bag, a purse the size of a duffle bag and a grocery bag full of food for the trip. She appeared perfectly able bodied to me yet she couldn't push this cart.

It turns out she was going to a staffed station with checked baggage and she was also boarding at a station with checked baggage. I told her she needed to check these 3 large bags and she said NO. No explanation, not a second thought, just NO, I'm not checking my bags.

Honestly I would have been well within Amtrak's policy to make her check the bags or refuse to let her on the train. I let her on and I lugged all that baggage up to the train for her and I put it all on for her. I have to say that next time I feel like I'll need to be adamant regarding the carry-on policy.

 

[amamba]

Even though the overhead bins are closed with latches on the acela, they are open for a pretty long length internally, at least above two rows.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm fine with stricter luggage enforcement. If you can't carry and stow it then why on earth are you bringing it? Maybe Amtrak could meet the heavy packers half way by offering checked luggage service at more stops? If increased enforcement is rolled out as part of a win-some/lose-some change then it might be received a little better.

 

[amamba]

Meh, we don't need checked baggage options on acela or more NER trains. It would take too long at the stops. I would rather that the train be quick and on time.

 

[the_traveler]

The other night this lady asked me for help at the station to get her stuff up to the platform and onto the train. I said sure. As we walked to her stuff and I seen the mountain she had piled upon the cart I asked her where she was going. She had 3 large bags, one small bag, a purse the size of a duffle bag and a grocery bag full of food for the trip. She appeared perfectly able bodied to me yet she couldn't push this cart.

It turns out she was going to a staffed station with checked baggage and she was also boarding at a station with checked baggage. I told her she needed to check these 3 large bags and she said NO. No explanation, not a second thought, just NO, I'm not checking my bags.

Honestly I would have been well within Amtrak's policy to make her check the bags or refuse to let her on the train. I let her on and I lugged all that baggage up to the train for her and I put it all on for her. I have to say that next time I feel like I'll need to be adamant regarding the carry-on policy.

I fully agree with you, she should have checked those bags!

If she was going from a station with check baggage service to one that does not, or between 2 that do not offer it at all - that would be a different story. But between 2 stations that do offer checked baggage service, there is no excuse to not check at least one of those bags! Besides, it lessens the space available for others to use in the luggage racks - that do not have that option!

After all, airlines allow you one carry-on, anything else has to be checked. You have 2 choices - check the other bag or not fly. A train offers the same choices - check your bags or not travel!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Yeah, I'm only referring to the LD network here. It's also a little amazing to me that Amtrak apparently has a zero-tolerance rule for checking baggage that contains electronics. In the early 1970's that might have been perfectly acceptable but here in 2011 it seems absolutely archaic to me.

 

[jdcnosse]

The other night this lady asked me for help at the station to get her stuff up to the platform and onto the train. I said sure. As we walked to her stuff and I seen the mountain she had piled upon the cart I asked her where she was going. She had 3 large bags, one small bag, a purse the size of a duffle bag and a grocery bag full of food for the trip. She appeared perfectly able bodied to me yet she couldn't push this cart.

It turns out she was going to a staffed station with checked baggage and she was also boarding at a station with checked baggage. I told her she needed to check these 3 large bags and she said NO. No explanation, not a second thought, just NO, I'm not checking my bags.

Honestly I would have been well within Amtrak's policy to make her check the bags or refuse to let her on the train. I let her on and I lugged all that baggage up to the train for her and I put it all on for her. I have to say that next time I feel like I'll need to be adamant regarding the carry-on policy.

I fully agree with you, she should have checked those bags!

If she was going from a station with check baggage service to one that does not, or between 2 that do not offer it at all - that would be a different story. But between 2 stations that do offer checked baggage service, there is no excuse to not check at least one of those bags! Besides, it lessens the space available for others to use in the luggage racks - that do not have that option!

After all, airlines allow you one carry-on, anything else has to be checked. You have 2 choices - check the other bag or not fly. A train offers the same choices - check your bags or not travel!

I with y'all. lol I mean going from GRR (where there is no checked baggage) to CHI (where there is) to me seems alright if you don't make too much of a hassle. but if you're going from like CHI to LAX where both your originating point and terminating point has checked baggage...she should have checked them.

 

[TimePeace]

I don't mind more rule enforcement, as long as I can carry on my own stuff. I have never checked a bag on the train and doubt I ever will. But size and weight measurements of carry-ons would be a pain in the butt - unless the overhead racks actually get too full to hold it all. I have always seen plenty of room in the coach cars for bags, even if it means not having my bag directly over my seat - I am ok with that.

 

[trainman74]

I once carried a 6' wooden fertility goddess (supposedly from the Ivory Coast) from NYP to WAS on one of the regionals. She had a garbage bag over her head and her teats were hanging out of the garbage bag at the bottom. The Amtrak staff merely laughed at me.

I assume they stopped laughing once the fertility goddess worked her magic and they were all pregnant by BAL.

 

[Ben_G]

Good topic...answered a question I had about carry on's. We will check one large bag but wanted to carry two small suitcases of airline carry on size and two of the underseat type airline bags. I also want to carry a small backpack with my electronics and a couple books and some snacks. One of the underseat type bags will be for carrying mainly medical supplys for the wifes insulin pump and emergency food type items. She has to eat on schedule or risk a major problem. That put us over the two per person carry on rule by one small bag.

 

[Stu Chuang Matthews]

Another question along these lines. My wife and I are checking our two bicycles in boxes from Emeryville CA to Pittsburgh PA. Then we are getting on the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg PA. There is no checked baggage on this line. Is there any way we can still use Amtrak to bring our bicycles on this last stage of our journey? We are capable of lugging the bikes ourselves. I have seen large items stored on the lower level before in the open.

 

[NY Penn]

@Ben: I'm quite sure that as long as you can carry it and sit without obstructing fellow passengers on board, the number of bags will not matter.

 

[AlanB]

Another question along these lines. My wife and I are checking our two bicycles in boxes from Emeryville CA to Pittsburgh PA. Then we are getting on the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg PA. There is no checked baggage on this line. Is there any way we can still use Amtrak to bring our bicycles on this last stage of our journey? We are capable of lugging the bikes ourselves. I have seen large items stored on the lower level before in the open.

There is no lower level on the cars between Pittsburgh & Harrisburg. That train uses single level cars and I could see a potential problem there, as you could end up blocking a door with the bikes. I'm not saying that the conductor won't allow you to bring the bikes on. But the conductor could just as easily say no. And then you'd be stuck.

 

[PaulM]

Another question along these lines. My wife and I are checking our two bicycles in boxes from Emeryville CA to Pittsburgh PA. Then we are getting on the Pennsylvanian to Harrisburg PA. There is no checked baggage on this line. Is there any way we can still use Amtrak to bring our bicycles on this last stage of our journey? We are capable of lugging the bikes ourselves. I have seen large items stored on the lower level before in the open.

As AlanB mentioned, you could run into a problem trying to carry on non-folding bikes because it is against the rules. But if Harrisburg has any train with checked baggage, you could check it through to there and then pick it up later. Or check it a day or two early in Emeryville and have it waiting for you.