Checked baggage

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jater

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Dec 27, 2012
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I understand all of the check baggage restrictions and such, my question is once I get to my destination where do I go to get my baggage once I de-board from my sleeper car?? Will Amtrak unload the baggage car on the platform or do they have an airline type setup where your instructed to wait at a baggage claim until the train is unloaded??
 
jater said:
I understand all of the check baggage restrictions and such, my question is once I get to my destination where do I go to get my baggage once I de-board from my sleeper car?? Will Amtrak unload the baggage car on the platform or do they have an airline type setup where your instructed to wait at a baggage claim until the train is unloaded??
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You'll get a baggage claim ticket. Keep that. When you get to your destination, there'll be a baggage claim window where you can pick up your baggage, though it may take 15-30 minutes for it to all be put in and you be able to pick up your checked baggage.
 
LAX has an airline style baggage claim with baggage carousels. It's located just off the north end of the waiting room near the Starbucks.
 
If you have an oversized item (a wheelchair, bicycle, etc.) it will be in a little room to one side of the carousel, and you talk to the guy in charge of the room. Your bag will also be there if somehow your bag beat you to LA. (This happens if you take a scenic route from Chicago to Los Angeles -- for instance, Empire Builder and Coast Starlight -- but checked your bag through. The bag will take the direct route.)

Fair warning, the luggage handling people in LA can sometimes have a very, um, "manana" attitude, so if nobody's there, you may have to wait for an hour, or go find someone to page them. This shouldn't happen if your bags were on your train with you and you pick them up along with everyone else, but if something funny happens (for instance, if your bag arrived on a different train) it can be an issue. I had to deal with that.
 
Remembering a couple of other threads, it sounds like LA is in dire need of some employee retraining--or some new employees. There's a rash of LA complaints on the forum lately!
 
Nathanael said:
If you have an oversized item (a wheelchair, bicycle, etc.) it will be in a little room to one side of the carousel, and you talk to the guy in charge of the room. Your bag will also be there if somehow your bag beat you to LA. (This happens if you take a scenic route from Chicago to Los Angeles -- for instance, Empire Builder and Coast Starlight -- but checked your bag through. The bag will take the direct route.)
Fair warning, the luggage handling people in LA can sometimes have a very, um, "manana" attitude, so if nobody's there, you may have to wait for an hour, or go find someone to page them. This shouldn't happen if your bags were on your train with you and you pick them up along with everyone else, but if something funny happens (for instance, if your bag arrived on a different train) it can be an issue. I had to deal with that.
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If I am on the Chief from Chi to Lax my bags should be on the train with me correct if I check them?
 
jater said:
Nathanael said:
If I am on the Chief from Chi to Lax my bags should be on the train with me correct if I check them?
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In my experience, checked baggage takes the shortest possible route between where checked and where being picked up. If the Chief is part of the shortest route from where you checked it to LAX, then yes. On my last trip, I was going WOR to SLM via the CZ and my luggage went via the EB and arrived in SLM a day before I did.
 
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