Larger luggage aboard Viewliner Sleepers

[Tennessee Traveler]

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere in the past. I am planning a circuitous Amtrak trip in April 2017 departing New Orleans on the Cresent and transferring to the Capitol Limited in D.C.. In Chicago, I will transfer to the California Zephyr to Emeryville. Normally I would check my 24 inch luggage and only bring my carry on to my sleeper car room as I did when I rode the Lake Shore Limited this past June. After the Albany personnel send my checked luggage opposite direction than I traveled, my luggage was technically a day late arriving through New York Penn instead of through Chicago as I did. As it was my luggage got to New Orleans 4-5 hours later than I did. I have nothing but praise to the New Orleans personnel taking care of me. For that reason, I do not want to check my 24 inch bag on this trip and know that it will not be a problem on the Superliner equipment as I will simply leave it in the downstairs rack. On my Lake Shore Limited trip on the Viewliner I did not see any such luggage storage in sleeper car. I am aware there is storage from inside my roomette over the hallway but I am not able to lift my 24 inch bag and put it in that area even if it is large enough. So the question is: On the Cresent Viewliner sleeper will I be able to bring my 24 inch bag on board and where would I store it? I'm afraid if I check the bag it probably would be sent via CONO and CZ and arrive a day before I do.

 

[pennyk]

There is no communal luggage rack on the Viewliner sleepers. I believe your choices will be checking or storing in your room.

 

[oregon pioneer]

When I was traveling alone in my Viewliner sleeper on the Cardinal and LSL last year, I stored my big roller bag on the backwards-facing seat while I sat in the forwards-facing seat. At night, I slept on the upper bunk (by preference) but my SCA offered to make up the lower bunk and lift my bag to the upper bunk for me, if I preferred it that way. I'll bet if you wanted to sleep on the lower bunk, the SCA would even put your bag on the upper bunk and then raise it a notch to give you more headroom. Well, if you get a good SCA that is...

 

[Greg]

When I travel in the view liners with a big suitcase I store it on the large arm rest next to the big seat opposite toilet. There is a strap there that will hanging clothes tight to the wall and I just run that strap through the handle of my suitcase to hold it securely

 

[Greg]

Darn smart phone. ..the strap holds hanging clothes tight to the wall opposite the toilet

 

[PVD]

if you are travelling solo, the upper berth makes a great shelf, you can lower it, put the case on it and raise it. if you are using both, see the posts above....

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Thanks for the good advice, I am traveling solo and only 5'7" tall so using the upper bed as a shelf sounds good as well as using the strap over the large arm rest. If the Amtrak people in New Orleans(whom I trust) can assure me the bag will go on the Crescent with me I may check the 24 incher since I am confident the bag will make the connection to the Capitol Limited and then the California Zephyr. I also know that the Amtrak people in Emeryville will hold the bag for me if it arrives a day earlier than I which is what would happen if NOLA put the bag on the CONO same day I leave on the Crescent.

 

[PVD]

Unlike the upper on a SL the upper on the VL goes up and down on tracks rather than folding out. After you put stuff on it, it can be raised back up. Headroom is not an issue like it would be on a SL with the upper in sleeping position. The VL roomette is nice for singles, The sink and toilet are pretty popular for single travelers, not so for the toilet with 2 in a room. When the VL2 eventually arrive, they won't have the toilet.

 

[Lazy Z]

There is abundant storage in the VL bedroom .