Checked baggage question

[eee]

I have tickets from South Bend-NYP via the Capitol Limited and Northeast Regional.

I've decided to hop off in Philadelphia and spend a couple days there. I already purchased additional PHL-NYP tickets with AGR points.

Someone tell me if I'm understanding my luggage options correctly.

Option 1: I can check bags from South Bend to Penn Station, picking them up at Penn Station two days (slightly less than 48 hours) after I would've originally arrived. Thus I'd be unhampered by large suitcases in Philadelphia.

Option 2: I can carry on if I wanted to have my bags in Philadelphia. If I did that, I'd want to day check them at 30th Street Station for a few hours after arrival in order to make a quick Amtrak/SEPTA trip out to Downington (for beer!).

From searching previous posts, they do have a day check area for bags in Philadelphia, right? Is it open normal checked baggage hours (which is 10:30pm, per Amtrak.com)? If I were to get back to 30th Street after 10:30pm, it wouldn't be a big deal to pick up my bags the next morning, would it?

 

[the_traveler]

#1) Yes. They hold your bags for 48 hours without charge. And note that it wouldn't be 48 hours after YOU were scheduled to arrive! You would be traveling on a Regional, and except for #66, no Regionals offer check baggage service. It would be carried on one of the LD trains.

#2) If you are in a sleeper from SOB, you can use the Club Acela (CA) in PHL. You can store your bags there for no charge, then after you return, you can just pick them up. (Just be aware of the Club hours. I'm not sure, but I think it closes at 9 PM.)