Viewliner sleeper luggage capacity

My son and I are booked on the LSL #48 Chicago to Rhinecliff on Tuesday and I was hoping to check luggage Chicago to Albany and retrieve the luggage during the 55 minute station stop in Albany but Amtrak says it can't be done. I don't really want to fill up our roomette with luggage overnight but it looks like that's the only option. Can anybody tell me how much luggage space is available in the sleepers either in the room or at the end of the hall? I haven't been in one in ages.

It would also be a big help if we could check through Chicago while coming from the EB #8. It looks like I'll have the luggage during my layover in Chicago. Is there any wiggle room in this policy?

Thanks for any advice.

brokenrail wrote:My son and I are booked on the LSL #48 Chicago to Rhinecliff on Tuesday and I was hoping to check luggage Chicago to Albany and retrieve the luggage during the 55 minute station stop in Albany but Amtrak says it can't be done. I don't really want to fill up our roomette with luggage overnight but it looks like that's the only option. Can anybody tell me how much luggage space is available in the sleepers either in the room or at the end of the hall? I haven't been in one in ages.

It would also be a big help if we could check through Chicago while coming from the EB #8. It looks like I'll have the luggage during my layover in Chicago. Is there any wiggle room in this policy?

Thanks for any advice.

Viewliner luggage space is _limited_ (disclaimer, I have only ridden in roomettes). There is an overhead cubby that is about the size of a half-length airline overhead bin. You need to lift your suitcase up over your head and space is tight if the upper bunk is already down. There is no room at the end of the hall (like with superliners).

Through checking from Chicago to Rhinecliff should be no problem (assuming Rhinecliff is a baggage handling station). Your bag will be waiting there for you when you arrive.

But Rhinecliff is not a baggage station. Its only 45 minutes after the long stop at Albany. So it appears I have to live with the luggage in my room for 18 hours instead of 45 minutes. Maybe I'll bring soft luggage and call it pillows.

brokenrail wrote:But Rhinecliff is not a baggage station. Its only 45 minutes after the long stop at Albany. So it appears I have to live with the luggage in my room for 18 hours instead of 45 minutes. Maybe I'll bring soft luggage and call it pillows.

If the train is not sold out, ask the car attendant, they may be willing to store it in an extra room.

And yes, the 55 minute window from ALB-Rhinecliff probably isn't enough time.
Of course the fact that the Late for Sure Limited is always late, odds are you won't make that particular train anyway.

It might be easier (but not cheaper) to simply drive and park in Albany.

Unfortunately the Viewliner is one of the worst cars to handle luggage. I have had sleeper attendants that take your bags and put it in the baggage car for you and when your stop comes up they grab it. I would pack what you normally would and have the attendant take care of putting the bags somewhere - either in a vacant room or in the baggage car.

You also might want to consider using Albany as your station, it's newly renovated and has great parking and station facilities. One of my favorite medium-sized stations and is not in Downtown Albany, it's in Rensellaer.

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You could try checking the baggage 1 or 2 days ahead of time to Albany, so it's waiting for you there. If something goes wrong, it's your responsibility to somehow retrieve it later.

Thanks for all the advice. Checking the bag early is not an option since I'm being driven 4 hours to the train in MT on Monday. But it would be a good idea if I was closer. I thought of getting off in Albany but here is the situation. I'm taking my four year old boy from MT to NH on his first overnight train trip. Amtrak called me on Friday saying that the Albany to Boston leg is being cancelled in favor of a 5 hour bus ride. Since I have a brother near Rhinecliff that is driving to NH I decided to remain in the NY section of the LSL. That's when the problems started. Amtrak said it couldn't be done. Even though my room is being vacated in Albany and I doubted it would be resold from Albany to NYP. But they had me ticketed on 448 and that was just too much for Amtrak's computer to deal with. Finally they allowed me to go to Rhinecliff. Today I looked and they had changed me to a later train out of Albany. I explained that I'd prefer to stay on the LSL because if it was on time I'd be wasting time getting to Rhinecliff and if it was late I'd miss the slightly later train in Albany. After much effort on the clerk's part I got to stay in my room to Rhinecliff. For $14 more than the cancelled Boston leg. Then the question of baggage came up and I got nowhere. I'll talk to the baggage people in Chicago but I have my doubts anything can be done. I'd have liked to check the bag in MT and not worried about it in Chicago and retrieving it only in Albany. It will all work out in the end and we'll enjoy the trip and not worry about the details or the lateness. I'm long time railroader so I know the drill. I was just trying to figure out if there would be any room in my roomette for unchecked bags. My kid is small so maybe he can make a fort out of the extra bags.

I should say the Canadian we took across Canada (2008) was a breeze. We arrived in Vancouver in the morning (up from Seattle) and they took my bags for the afternoon departure. The bags were waiting for us in our room 8 yours later. How nice. I'll see how Amtrak compares these days.

Rhinecliff(RHI) is a staffed station,but if #48 is late,agent might be off duty when you arrive.

If it is just you and your son + suitcase and carry on- you'll be able to maneuver in the roomette without too much of a problem - in my opinion. I typically just put the suitcase on top of the toilet and the carry-on the opposite side next to me since there is a little room there. If I wanted to - I could probably hoist the carry on to the cubby above the sink or even put it on the upper bed during the day (and then move to the cubby at night. Ask the attendant if he or she can help you out. With the Boston sleeper being forwarded to NYP instead of Boston, not sure how the baggage cars are positioned. Sometimes I've had an attendant just place people's luggage in the rear baggage car and then fetch it at the end of journey. The Lake Shore is pretty booked up, but I know when I called for reservations not too long ago they were offering me a roomette in the "Boston sleeper" to NYP. I then realized something was up on the old Boston and Albany line and the Lake Shore wouldn't be divided. Again, normally Boston sleeper is front of train with baggage car there and then baggage car on rear adjacent to NY sleepers but not sure how they are lining this train up with all sleepers bound for NYP. I would assume all sleepers on the rear with baggage car on the front, but who knows..........or the sleepers could be on the head-end with baggage car on head-end also.

How long is this whole Albany to Boston stub train/bustitution supposed to last? I don't see any advisories about it........

I was under the impression that there were no more Boston sleepers. The timetable doesn't indicate sleepers on 448 and 449 and when I booked my trip it gave me a sleeper to Albany and coach to Boston. I would hope there would be a Boston sleeper again on this train. I've been all over Amtrak but never got the B&A mileage. And apparently not this trip either. Someday.

The Baggage and sleepers are on the head end of the train,Boston-Chicago "thru" passengers ride the NEC to NY Penn
from Boston for the moment,other passengers get the Bus,that was stated in an other thread in this forum.
That person connected to #49 from an Acela from Boston.

Finished my trip on #8 (Empire Builder) and #48 (Lake Shore Limited) and can report on luggage capacities in the rooms. My luggage ended up being a small rolling suitcase of the kind that fits overhead on an airplane, a medium duffle, a full day pack and a car seat. We had a full bedroom on #8 and left the car seat downstairs in the (full) luggage racks. Everything else fit under the seats. Of course I had plenty of room on the large couch and extra chair to spread out. The Viewliner "roomette" was miniature by comparison but we managed. The car seat spent the trip in the vestibule after I left it in the car of the attendant. She had said it could ride in the adjacent baggage car but it never got that far. The suitcase and the duffle and the daypack fit above in the storage compartment that extends over aisle. Small hard sided items and soft items are ideal for this space. I doubt a large hard sided suitcase would fit up there and would be difficult to lift and get over the restraining bar. I'm 6' 4" and stood on the toilet to access the storage area.

#8 was 4 hours late arriving in Chicago losing most of its time in Havre and points east including at Union Station. #48 kept its Boston section to New York City with busses available for the Boston passengers. It was slightly over an hour late leaving Schenectady left Albany on time due to extreme padding on the single track Schenectady to Albany section and the lack of switching required in Albany. With all stations south of Albany being for detraining passengers only #48 is able to run early after leaving Albany and has the ability to arrive in Penn Station early. The double tracking of the section between Schenectady is moving forward which will greatly increase reliability over this section.

#48 kept its Boston section to New York City with busses available for the Boston passengers

I rode Chicago to Boston (booked a few weeks ago) Sunday 8/9 through Monday 8/10. I was booked 48 to cross platform transfer at Albany to 448. Are you saying that they've been booking that trip as a ride through to NYC with bus from there to BOS?

With track reconstruction work at Albany station,Amtrak is not able to switch off the Boston section,
there' supposed to be a fixed consist of Biz class and Coaches shuttling between Albany-Boston.
Might be CSX track work making hash of that plan.