NEC and Carolinian and DC

[RailFanLNK]

I have a friend and his three siblings that are flying to DC, staying in Arlington and then taking the Carolinian to Philadelphia and then the Keystone to Harrisburg. They have a bag that is one inch bigger than the actual rules. There question is: What will happen if it's one inch too large when they take the Keystone that doesn't have checked baggage? Also, is there anything they need to know about these two trains? They rode the CZ two years ago from LNK-GSC but have never been on Regional trains and aren't really Amtrak savvy. Thanks everyone!

 

[Nickrapak]

The general rule is that as long as you can carry it yourself, and it fits either in the overhead racks (much bigger than airline racks) or in the storage bins at the end of the car, you'll be fine. Since the Keystone doesn't have a baggage car, they won't be allowed to check bags in ALX.

The Carolinan should be similar to riding coach on LD trains, other than the fact that they're single level. The Keystone is unreserved, meaning that seats are first-come, first-served, and you might get caught on an SRO train (not likely). The benefit to this is that they can choose any Keystone you want to travel on, so if your first train comes in on time, they can board the 8:15 Keystone rather than the 10:59 one without paying any change fees or getting a new ticket.

 

[the_traveler]

I would just carry it on at ALX and store it above the seat or at the end of the car. (Remember these are single level Amfleet cars, Al.) Nobody will care if it's 1 inch too big if it's a carry-on bag!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Hey Al, could you maybe mosey on over to that new Amtrak station in your town sometime, get some decent exterior pics of it, and post 'em here? There's a thread here about the new station opening, but the links go to really lame interior and half-built shots.