Thanks for the lowdown, Norman. I'll post the afterword afterwards.
John
Norman Wilson <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I'll explain the general principles first, then map them to the specific example.
>
> There are three possible ways to carry a bicycle on Amtrak trains:
>
> a. If the stations between which you are travelling both offer checked baggage service, you can
> pack your bike in a box and check it. The station is supposed to have boxes available that can
> hold a normal-sized upright bike with wheels in place but handlebars loosened and turned and
> pedals removed. You are allowed to provide your own box, of course. There is probably a
> handling fee of $5-$10, not so much because it's a bike as because it's bulky and deserves
> special handling, paid at the baggage desk. I don't know whether that fee includes the box.
> (Years ago the fee was just for the box, but that is no longer true.)
>
> b. A few trains, identified specifically in the timetable, are able to carry unboxed bicycles.
> Sometimes this means there is a special rack in the baggage car; sometimes a few special
> tiedowns in one or more coach cars. Again the mechanism is designed only for regular-sized
> diamond- frame bikes; it may nor may not work for recumbents, tandems, or other
> less-conventional shapes and sizes. Many of these trains are all- reserved (you must buy a
> ticket in advance for a specific train and date); in such cases you must also reserve a space
> for your bike, and there is a fee of $5-$10 per train. (And a special separate ticket coupon
> is issued just for your bike.)
>
> c. Many stations just don't offer checked baggage these days. Whether you are allowed to carry
> your bicycle on is up to the crew; there is no policy that says they must let you do so, and
> probably there is policy that says they shouldn't if the train is crowded or if they don't
> think there's a safe place where it can be stowed. If you have a big box that you can carry by
> yourself (even up the narrow steps into a standard high-floored coach), and lift onto an
> overhead baggage rack if necessary, it is more likely to be OK. If you are travelling at
> Christmas or (US) Thanksgiving or in July or August or any other peak travel time, it is more
> likely that you will be refused. It may pay to contact station personnel at the specific
> stations you will be using to see if they are helpful or grumpy (most are helpful if asked),
> to find out whether there are unexpected stairways up and down which you must lug your boxed
> bike in the station itself, and so on. Many stations these days are staffed only on certain
> days of the week or not at all, which may mean less help or just less interference.
>
> I have done a and b myself as recently as a couple of years ago without undue trouble. I've never
> tried c.
>
> On to John's specific trip:
>
> The train between Chicago and Minneapolis is type a: bikes must be boxed and are handled as
> checked baggage, and both stations handle checked baggage, so all is well.
>
> The train between Grand Rapids and Chicago is type c, however: no baggage car, no other provision
> for handling bikes. Grand Rapids is an unstaffed station, so there is no station agent to check
> with in advance. It might be worth while to go down to the station early some morning and ask the
> conductor, since he's ultimately the one who would decide whether or not to let you board, though
> there is no way to be certain that the guy you talk to ahead of time will be the guy who works the
> train on which you travel.
>
> I have heard tell that some of the station staff in Chicago get rude and grumpy at times, so it's
> possible that things would work fine on your outbound trip but you would have trouble boarding the
> last leg on the way back.
>
> If it is feasible for you to pack your bike into a smaller travel case-- the kind that looks like
> a large suitcase, and usually requires that both wheels be removed and packed separately into the
> same case--that might be the safest bet. If it just looks like a slightly-bigger piece of ordinary
> luggage, and you are obviously able to lug it yourself without blocking things, even the
> allegedly-grumpy people in Chicago are unlikely to give you a hard time.
>
> Certainly you might as well box the bike in Grand Rapids, since it will have to be in a box in
> Chicago anyway.
>
> I don't mean to be unduly discouraging; just realistic. There are legitimate reasons for even the
> friendliest and most helpful of crews to balk at bulky, unwieldy carry-on baggage that they don't
> think can be carried on and stowed safely; and there are certainly unfriendly, unhelpful people
> working on trains as well, though not many these days. When I brought my bike along sans box a few
> years ago on trains that officially allowed that, the crew went out of their way to help.
>
> I'd be very interested to hear how it goes.
>
> Norman Wilson Toronto ON
> --
> To reply directly, expel `.edu'.
