Boarding Sunset Limited #2 sleepers in LAX

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DennisInGeorgia

Train Attendant
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Oct 29, 2008
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Location
Atlanta
We'll have an entourage of 6 boarding the Sunset Limited, Train #1 in LAX this summer, including 2 tired cranky kids by the 10pm departure. Obviously we're wanting to get them bedded down as early as we can. Does anyone know if this train starts boarding sleeper pax earlier than normal? We 4 adults certainly do hope so.
 
I'm not sure what time they release #2 from the yard. (I hope you mean #2 from LAX-NOL. #1 goes NOL-LAX and arrives about 5 am.) Usually it's no more than 45 minutes to 1 hour before departure.

My recommendation is to use a Red Cap to get on as early as it arrives from the yard.
 
I'm not sure what time they release #2 from the yard. (I hope you mean #2 from LAX-NOL. #1 goes NOL-LAX and arrives about 5 am.) Usually it's no more than 45 minutes to 1 hour before departure.
My recommendation is to use a Red Cap to get on as early as it arrives from the yard.
Ditto, it's #2 East Bound and the Red cap ride is the Way to Go! Since they don't serve Dinner on such a Late departing Train hope ya'll will tke advantage of the Great Places to Eat in Downtown LA (Traxx in Union Station is very Good and the Famous Phillipe is Up the Street!))and Also Enjoy the Original Sight of Los Angeles Across the Street and Beautiful, Historic Union Station!
 
OH! The embarrassment! :blush: ! Of course it's #2 out of LAX! I remember reading about other late-departure trains having early boarding, receptions, etc. but guess that's now a bygone era.

Per your advice, we'll try to snag a redcap soon as our Surfliner pulls into the station. Sooner we get the kids bedded, the happier we'll all be.

Thanks to all.
 
IIRC the Lake Shore Limited out of Chicago is the only other late night departing train, and it does have that reception. The Sunset Limited does not. I would plan on a boarding call for about 9:30 if things are going right. Of course, a man named Murphy may be working in the yard that night, and he may decide to enforce his laws, which will cause a later departure.

You cannot plan on getting your kids in bed by a certain hour that night. If possible, take steps to not exhaust them earlier in the day. Make sure they get their naps, and eat regular meals as much as possible. Good luck.
 
There is no "early boarding" per se. Using a Red Cap is your best bet as they start moving people shortly before the train is announced. As mentioned above by Steve4031 figure about 9:30.
 
I boarded #2 in LAX earlier this week (with two young kids), and they called for boarding at around 9:35, very shortly after the train actually arrived from the yard. I supposed there was a two minute window where a redcap could have squeezed us in before the general call for boarding, but in my opinion, it's also equally likely that a redcap could have gotten delayed on their way to pick us up and got us there after we could have got there ourselves. Remember, a redcap's primary purpose is to assist people getting themselves and their bags to the train by moving them there on a cart. Any speed advantage in boarding is purely a side effect. It's not worth paying the tip to potentially save 2 minutes, IMHO.

There's also not a lineup in LAX. (There is a line for coach passenger check in, but that's for seat assignment, not boarding). Once the train's there, you can get on right at your car. You don't have to wait behind a bunch of coach passengers to get on first, so early boarding for sleeper passengers before coach wouldn't accomplish much since you're all going to different spots of the train.

So, I wouldn't sweat it. Use the time in LAX to get them into their pajamas or get their teeth brushed and get anything else of their nighttime routine out of the way. Then have something to read or do until they board the train. In my case, I assumed my kids would be tired and cranky, and I was trying to keep my kids in the waiting room reading quietly. But, my kids love Union Station, particularly the garden courts on the side, and kept demanding to be taken out to see the flowers and fountains. It was way easier to just do a nature walk for an hour than to try to occupy them inside. Then, once on board, they went right to sleep.
 
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We asked the Surfliner attendant if we could go directly to the SL platform to wait and she told us exactly how to get to that track and where to wait. I don't think we waited there even 30 minutes til the SL backed in. We didn't even go into the station.
 
Moderator Note: I changed the title from #1 to #2 to correctly reflect the proper number of the eastbound Sunset Limited.
 
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