Help please, don't know if Amtrak will let me do this...

[hotdishmn]

I have a comp room booked from Iowa to L.A. It is a reward trips. Originally my husband were going to go to L.A. for one day and then rent a car and drive to Vegas for a week. Now that my husband can't take the train but he can meet me in Vegas. The Amtrak folk have told me that since it is a reward trip, I can change the ticket but I have to mail it in and the process takes one to two weeks. The agents at the station cannot help me. Because it is soon, I am afraid I will not get a room because the train might sell out. I do not have enough points to immediately book another room for free. I will have to wait for them to credit my account with this ticket, if I send it is. I am too paranoid to do that. So, i have come up with another idea. (I'd really rather not go to L.A. anymore and just get off in Kingman AZ and take the commuter carrier to Las Vegas.)

My questions are...

1) Can I just get off the train in Kingman, Arizona even though my ticket says L.A?

2) The commuter carrier that Amtrak uses is based out of Kingman and will take me to Las Vegas. Since I can't buy a ticket for that part of the trip (since my free ticket says I am going to L.A.) I was thinking of buying a ticket for Williams Junction, Arizona (the Amtrak stop before Kingman) to Las Vegas. It will cost me only $54 which is a lot cheaper than my original plan of going to Los Angeles, spending a night and renting a car and driving back to Las Vegas.

Will the conductor/porter/amtrak allow me to do this? And will the kingman/Las Vegas part of the ticket be valid, even though I didn't "officially" get on the train in Williams Junction, because I have already been on the train?

I hope this is not confusing. Well, actually it kind of is.

Thank you for your help!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

1. Yes, please inform your car attendant so that they may make note of it.

2. That will work.

FYI- They are not 'porters'. They prefer 'Red Caps' or 'Baggage Handler' or their name.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Well by porter I think you mean Sleeping Car Attendant. I wouldn't worry about your husbands unused ticket since its an AGR reward its the same number of points for both of you if you were in the same room.

 

[zephyr17]

I have a comp room booked from Iowa to L.A. It is a reward trips. Originally my husband were going to go to L.A. for one day and then rent a car and drive to Vegas for a week. Now that my husband can't take the train but he can meet me in Vegas. The Amtrak folk have told me that since it is a reward trip, I can change the ticket but I have to mail it in and the process takes one to two weeks. The agents at the station cannot help me. Because it is soon, I am afraid I will not get a room because the train might sell out. I do not have enough points to immediately book another room for free. I will have to wait for them to credit my account with this ticket, if I send it is. I am too paranoid to do that. So, i have come up with another idea. (I'd really rather not go to L.A. anymore and just get off in Kingman AZ and take the commuter carrier to Las Vegas.)
My questions are...

1) Can I just get off the train in Kingman, Arizona even though my ticket says L.A?

2) The commuter carrier that Amtrak uses is based out of Kingman and will take me to Las Vegas. Since I can't buy a ticket for that part of the trip (since my free ticket says I am going to L.A.) I was thinking of buying a ticket for Williams Junction, Arizona (the Amtrak stop before Kingman) to Las Vegas. It will cost me only $54 which is a lot cheaper than my original plan of going to Los Angeles, spending a night and renting a car and driving back to Las Vegas.

Will the conductor/porter/amtrak allow me to do this? And will the kingman/Las Vegas part of the ticket be valid, even though I didn't "officially" get on the train in Williams Junction, because I have already been on the train?

I hope this is not confusing. Well, actually it kind of is.

Thank you for your help!

You'll have to arrange with the conductor that gets on a Albuquerque (works ALQ-KNG) that you will be getting off at Kingman instead of LA. You should notify your sleeping car attendant when you board as well. Since this is a middle of the night stop, your attendant will be off duty and the operating crew will be the one to ensure you get off the train, and open your sleeping car. Unless their is a passenger boarding or deboarding, they ordinarily wouldn't open your sleeping car at Kingman. Also, I don't know if that would require a double spot. Unsure of Kingman's platform length.

Otherwise, all would be fine, and you have a coupon to give to the Kingman-Las Vegas bus driver. Amtrak is a lot less concerned with people doing things like this than the airlines. You only have to arrange to get off.

Personally, I think you should ride through LA and rent a car to Vegas. I don't understand "another night" since the SWC gets into LA in the morning. If you rent a car with Hertz or Budget and pick it up at LAUPT, you could be in Las Vegas by 1 or 2 pm, and not have to get off the train in the middle of the night. You can enjoy the ride, sleep through the night, have a nice breakfast, and be in Vegas by early afternoon.

 

[hotdishmn]

Budget or Hertz at LAUPT will not allow anyone to do a one way rental to Vegas. I will have to take the flyaway bus to LAX and then rent the car from there. My return ticket on Amtrak is through Kingman.

 

[dart330]

I used the Vegas shuttle to Kingman this summer. It was ok, but we decided we would rather fly to LA to catch the SWC than board in Kingman in the middle of the night again.

I would probably do the same coming into LA, catch the Fly-away bus to the airport and a ticket on SW for $49 to Vegas. Would be about the same price and you would get a full night of sleep.

You can call the shuttle carrier direct and book a spot so you don't have to buy another amtrak ticket. Here is their website: http://www.commuterservices.net

 

[hotdishmn]

I used the Vegas shuttle to Kingman this summer. It was ok, but we decided we would rather fly to LA to catch the SWC than board in Kingman in the middle of the night again.
I would probably do the same coming into LA, catch the Fly-away bus to the airport and a ticket on SW for $49 to Vegas. Would be about the same price and you would get a full night of sleep.

You can call the shuttle carrier direct and book a spot so you don't have to buy another amtrak ticket. Here is their website: http://www.commuterservices.net

Wow, thank you!

 

[dart330]

Oh and if you do use the shuttle, the waiting room in Kingman is terrible. Bring anything you want to eat or drink including water as there is nothing available but a single toilet and a very disgusting sink with a dirty cold water faucet. When we were there, they had a ceiling fan going with a single light bulb that looked like it was about to burn out (the only light for the waiting room), plus the dead scorpions on the floor were making the young girls scream.

 

[p&sr]

Also, I don't know if that would require a double spot. Unsure of Kingman's platform length.

The last time I rode through Kingman, in the middle of the night, the train made FOUR stops, all in different positions. I never did see any signs of a station, or any platform...

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Also, I don't know if that would require a double spot. Unsure of Kingman's platform length.

The last time I rode through Kingman, in the middle of the night, the train made FOUR stops, all in different positions. I never did see any signs of a station, or any platform...

Crew change.

 

[darien-l]

I have a comp room booked from Iowa to L.A. It is a reward trips. Originally my husband were going to go to L.A. for one day and then rent a car and drive to Vegas for a week. Now that my husband can't take the train but he can meet me in Vegas. The Amtrak folk have told me that since it is a reward trip, I can change the ticket but I have to mail it in and the process takes one to two weeks. The agents at the station cannot help me. Because it is soon, I am afraid I will not get a room because the train might sell out. I do not have enough points to immediately book another room for free. I will have to wait for them to credit my account with this ticket, if I send it is. I am too paranoid to do that.

When is your trip, exactly? You might have plenty of time to exchange your tickets, especially if you send them to AGR by Express Mail. If you are worried about the train selling out somehow, you can hold a room by making a paid reservation on amtrak.com. Make sure you select "pick up tickets at the station." You will get a full refund if the reservation is cancelled more than 7 days prior to departure. I've done it before, it works like a charm. My call to AGR went something like this:

Me: I'd like to book a bedroom from Denver to Emeryville on June 12.

Agent: I'm sorry, sir, there are no more bedrooms available on that train.

Me: Actually, I'm holding a paid reservation for one. Hold on a second, I'll release it. <Clicked "cancel reservation" on the website>

Agent: OK, I see an available bedroom now.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

This comes from a friend of mine who has conducted the trian between KNG-LAX:

"I just hope she tells the C she wants off at KNG, because we don't spot at the grade crossing for sleeper work unless someone is getting on or off...and we know about that in advance and let the engineers know."

 

[Guest_TransAtlantic_*]

The waiting room is across the street in a storefront, not in the old (boarded-up) station; but you shouldn't have to use it, as the van to Laughlin/Vegas is almost always waiting before the train arrives.

Red Caps are the people who work in larger stations to transport passengers via electric cart from waiting room to trainside; people onboard the train are either Attendants or Conductors.

 

[hotdishmn]

Thank you for all your help. Sorry about using the term porter...didn't know. I love Amtrak, obviously, or I wouldn't have earned a free trip.

Okay, I thought about what Darien said about buying another ticket. (thank you).

I have four weeks until I leave so I am now thinking about charging a ticket, to make sure I have a room, and expressing my rewards ticket overnight to be credited. That way it will get there within a few days. On the phone they told me it would take two weeks to be credited, so it was kind of close I thought. Then as soon as it's credited I can call and make another reservation, saying I have another reservation on hold like Darien said, in case the trip is sold out. Darien also mentioned that I should check the box picked up at the station, but there is no box for that when I tried to buy online. Should I go to the station and buy the ticket there and then mail that one back? Or can I return a ticket in person to be credited to my charge card? (That will be two 30 minute drives but the guys are friendly at the St Paul ticket counter.)

But, alas, I am a worrier so I worry about the ticket getting lost in the mail, etc. So I may just wait,and then worry about speaking with the conductor, etc.

Does anyone have any further suggestions, thoughts? Etc.

THANK YOU ALL

 

[darien-l]

Darien also mentioned that I should check the box picked up at the station, but there is no box for that when I tried to buy online. Should I go to the station and buy the ticket there and then mail that one back? Or can I return a ticket in person to be credited to my charge card? (That will be two 30 minute drives but the guys are friendly at the St Paul ticket counter.)

No, don't do that. Once the ticket is printed, there is a 10% processing fee to get a refund. If there is no "pick up at station" option available, it usually means that your departure station doesn't have a ticket counter or a Quik-Trak machine. Simply select another station "upstream" of yours that has one of these facilities (would that be St. Paul?), and you will have the option to "pick up at station." Your goal is to simply hold a room, not actually pick up the tickets.

Once again, let me emphasize that before the tickets are printed, it's very easy to cancel a paid online reservation and get an automatic 100% refund to your credit card (provided you do this more than 7 days before departure) -- simply click "cancel reservation" on the website. Once the tickets have been printed, you face a 10% penalty and a hassle of mailing them back or bringing them to a station.

 

[DET63]

Also, I don't know if that would require a double spot. Unsure of Kingman's platform length.

The last time I rode through Kingman, in the middle of the night, the train made FOUR stops, all in different positions. I never did see any signs of a station, or any platform...

Crew change.

It takes four stops to change a crew?

Here's a pic of the old Kingman station:

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Also, I don't know if that would require a double spot. Unsure of Kingman's platform length.

The last time I rode through Kingman, in the middle of the night, the train made FOUR stops, all in different positions. I never did see any signs of a station, or any platform...

Crew change.

It takes four stops to change a crew?

Here's a pic of the old Kingman station:

One stop for baggage, one stop for crew, one stop for sleepers, one stop for coach. Who knows?

 

[dart330]

When I boarded in June, the train had several different boardings. First was the engineers changing out of the locomotive. Second was the on-board crew change. Then there were the sleeper passengers, a couple were in the car forward of ours. Then it pulled forward again and we boarded. Then there was at least one more pull forward for the coach passengers. No checked baggage at Kingman. So on our trip, the train moved at least 5 times for the one stop. The station was not used at all, we basically boarded where the tracks crossed the road.









Here is where we boarded just to the West of the old station:

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

When I boarded in June, the train had several different boardings. First was the engineers changing out of the locomotive. Second was the on-board crew change. Then there were the sleeper passengers, a couple were in the car forward of ours. Then it pulled forward again and we boarded.

That second boarding was probably conductors. The OBS don't change until LA or CHI.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

how long as that station been "closed for renovation" are they really renovating it.