B. Carfree

Not only do some stations require that only bikes go into the boxes, but at Eugene we had one of the station agents insist on watching while we taped up the box. She said that if anything goes wrong and someone finds that something was allowed inside the box other than the bike, the agent is the one who catches heat.

At stations that haven't yet had something go wrong, the agents will likely interpret the policy liberally (an attached empty bag is the same as an attached bottle cage and both are really part of the bike).

We used to have several used bike boxes available at our local station, but someone decided that they looked messy, so now they get thrown out and everyone has to either buy a new one from the station or go to a bike shop and get a smaller one. The one Amtrak employee who rides to work at the station is more than a little upset by this, but he's not in charge. Not surprisingly, he's also the only staff member who's not overweight or obese and he's the friendliest of the lot by a wide margin.

Tourist in MSN

Agree. I have observed a huge variation in Amtrak staff when it comes to the rules. Some recognize that if they value their jobs, they should try to keep customers happy. Others have a lot of authority and feel safe enough in their jobs that they feel that they can abuse that authority which appears to give them great personal satisfaction. I have also seen some Amtrak staff that clearly did not understand federal transportation rules, rules that I knew better than they did. Your post made me think about the worst Amtrak employee I have dealt with, he was morbidly obese.

I will continue to ride Amtrak, but sometimes they can be frustrating. I however still prefer Amtrak over airline travel.

Doug64

Yes, it is the Albany station. It is only an easy 35 mile ride from our home. Many of our tours start and end there.

B. Carfree

My bike tried to end a tour there once. Unfortunately, I had gotten off in Eugene, per my ticket. Fortunately, the timing of the two Coast Starlight trains allows this mistake to be easily corrected. They just took the bike off at Albany and put it on the southbound train that came through a short time later. Apparently, this happens often enough that the staff knew the routine.

adventurepdx

Yeah, the whole used bike box thing is the one that really gets me. By the letter of Amtrak's rules, they are not supposed to let people use their used bike boxes. What I've been told is because the box may be "damaged." While theoretically this can be true, a quick inspection would say whether or not a box is reusable. No, I think it's because they'd rather sell you a new box than reuse an old perfectly good box, despite Amtrak's claims at being "green".

And the used bike box policy varies from station to station. Some stations will freely give them out, some will never. Some stations will even hold your box for you when you return, and some stations will never let you get your hands on one of those perfectly good used bike boxes sitting in a pile of perfectly good used bike boxes right over there. This happened to me once in LA. And it wasn't because the baggage agent was trying to be a jerk, but because there were too many cameras around and he was worried about getting caught giving me a used box.

In any case, I always ask first for a used bike box no matter what station I go to. And check near the cardboard recycling.

sam21fire

I got off the train at K-falls several years ago. The train arrived several hours later than scheduled (this used to be common with the Coast Starlight...not sure if this is still the case).
I had no problem with getting my baggage; the station agent collected everything and brought it to the (tiny) station on the cart. The guy was friendly but not chatty. I noticed that within 20 minutes after I arrived the place was deserted and locked up.

I've seen this a few time at smaller Amtrak stations; they're appear to be staffed part-time and only around departure/arrival times. If you want to call the K-falls station check the schedule and call shortly before a scheduled arrival time, or shortly after a scheduled departure.

Good luck!
Sam

adventurepdx

Good point. I will point out that you can find out the staffed hours for a station on the website. For K-Falls: Klamath Falls, OR Train Station - Map, Routes, Parking & More | Amtrak
Shows that their hours are from 7:30 am to 11 am, then 8:30 pm to 10 pm. Of course, if the train is running late, that closing time gets pushed back...

sam21fire

Yeah, Adventurepdx, timing seems to be the big issue. The train I was on arrived VERY late and the station agent seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

CliffordK

At least the Eugene to Seattle route uses a no-box baggage car for the bike. I think it costs an extra $5 handling fee or so.

Just wheel your bike up to the baggage car, and hand it to the Amtrack person loading the car. Then pick it up at the baggage car at the destination and wheel it away with you. Pretty simple.

adventurepdx

I'd definitely recommend reserving the bike spot on the Cascades (Eugene-PDX-Seattle-Vancouver) train at the same time you buy your train ticket. (It's not hard to do.) There are only 10 bike spots per train, and they can fill up, esp. in summer.

fietsbob

I've even scored Free Boxes at stations that other Cyclists Rode away from, like Eugene.

Talgo (Eugene to Vancouver BC) is more no box, the Coast Starlight, LA to Seattle is Less so , last time I checked .



I tried recycling an Amtrak box to fly out of SFO 20+ years ago , they wanted to check my packing,
sniff my empty stove petrol bottle, etc. [Pre 9/11/01]

then they gave me a fresh, UAL, box to re pack into...

knarfbackwarda

I see this thread is several years old, but I am looking to see if boxes are sold at the Albany station. The phone number is 541-928-0885 but good luck getting ahold of someone. The 800-usa-rail line is a long wait, but worth it.
Klamath Falls doesn't sell boxes, but if you are going to come back through k falls, they will hold the box for you. And yes it closes 15 minutes after you get off the train, so use any facilities before putting your bike together.

adventurepdx

Where exactly are you going? And what train are you taking?

The two train lines that go through Albany OR have bike hooks. Both the Cascades and the Coast Starlight have some form of "roll on" bike service, so if you are just going between K Falls and Albany, you won't need it. Or if you are going anywhere else up and down the West Coast by train. Many of the other long-distance lines have roll-on service now, as well.

Doug64

Yes, the Albany station has boxes, which you might need if all the roll-on spots are reserved.

Adventurepdx, Yes, that is the Albany station. I'm sorry, but I did not see your question from an earlier post until now.

We live about 35 miles from Albany, and have started many tours from there. It is an easy ride from our place, and we never have to worry about leaving a car anywhere.

knarfbackwarda

I'm heading back down to k falls and making a loop back to Albany. I got my ticket for $28 which makes me think that it was the last seat available. Nice to know they have racks on most trains now. Also thanks for the heads up on box availability in case the racks are all taken.
Cheers!

Tourist in MSN

Amtrak seat prices usually go up as the train gets fuller. So, if you got an unusually cheap ticket you might have more room to spread out too.

I am retired, thus my schedule is flexible. I usually check ticket prices on adjacent days to see if there is a cheaper ticket. A few years ago we came back to Wisconsin from San Fransisco a day later than we planned, the cheaper tickets on that day were cheap enough to cover our extra costs for lodging for an extra day of sightseeing.

Robert C

It is. I frequently use the Dunsmuir station, that is the stop before K Falls (or after, it depends which way you are going). The schedules do not account for the mountains between Redding and K falls. Expect the train to be late through there. That is part of the reason they go so fast once they were in the CA valley, they are making up lost time.

adventurepdx

I've taken coach class on the Coast Starlight many times over the years, all up and down the West Coast. I don't recall ANY time the seat next to me was empty.

However, if you splurge for the new Business Class on the Starlight, there's more of a chance you'll have a roomier car.

adventurepdx

The main reason why the train is running late is due to freight train traffic blocking the line. They do take into account going over Willamette Pass in the schedule.

While the Coast Starlight had quite a notorious on-time performance in years past (earning it the nickname "Coast Starlate"), it's gotten heaps better over the past few years. I took the train from Portland south to Sacramento in March, and it was on time the whole way.

sknhgy 

They tell me I have to have the physical ability to load the bike myself.
On my short trips from Alton, IL to St. Louis I just haul my bike up the steps and put it in an empty seat space in the car. Fare is around $3 w/o a bike, $20 with. But I don't have any luggage. Then I ride home.

Doug64

My wife does not have a problem with loading her bike.

adventurepdx

Except that's the Cascades, with its low-floor cars.

The baggage cars on the long-distance trains, like the Coast Starlight, are MUCH higher. And I got to experience that when I used the Starlight in March. I'd say the floor of the baggage car on the long-distance trains is about four feet from the ground.

sknhgy 

The Chicago-to-St Louis is a commuter train and you have to carry your bike up the narrow steps. They made that clear when I called Amtrak.

I wonder if I would need a bike box if I took the train west, out of St Louis towards Columbia or Sedalia.