Originally Posted by
sknhgy
Could someone please elaborate a bit about the "roll on service"? How exactly does that work? I live in Illinois, so our trains should have it.
Thanks.
Amtrak Cascades between Eugene and Vancouver BC my experience was the following:
1. There are a limited number of hooks, so when making reservation I also specify a bicycle.
2. At a station such as Portland, OR, go to where they handle baggage and pick up a baggage tag for the bike. Smaller stations like Salem, it is all at same place.
3. When train arrives, go to the front of the train with the bike, hand it to someone who takes it in the baggage car and hangs it on the hook; go back to board at my assigned seat.
4. When leaving the train, go to front of the train at the baggage car and have someone hand my bike.
I did this with multiple stations on the Amtrak Cascades line. Living in Portland so that most often, but also got on/off in Eugene, Salem, Tukwilla, Seattle and Vancouver on different trips. It was pretty convenient since I could take the bike "as is" and not have to put it in a box.
I had slightly different experiences on the Pacific Surfliner train. I took that one between LA and San Diego a few times - and remember not necessarily having a separate baggage car (except for cases when I connected to another train in LA - in which case it was in baggage car and boxed).