I'm feeling rather pleased. I was able to work out carless transportation to my training class by borrowing a folding bike and taking it on the Amtrak train, so I could ride the final 6 miles from the train station without taking a $20 taxi. (No convenient local bus routes.) I had to use a folder because the stop I needed to get off at (Worburn, MA) is only a short stop for passengers, no freight handling, so I couldn't take my normal bike. Getting on in Portland (ME), the ticket agent wasn't sure it would be allowed (because "it's a bike"), but fortunately the conductor didn't have any problem with it.
I'm wondering what others' experience with Amtrak has been? Depends on the whim of the conductor, perhaps? I'm considering purchasing a folder for
my commuting club, but I'd kind of like to get some kind of written statement from Amtrak that it is okay to take a folding bike of certain dimensions as carry-on, and keep it with the bike, in case anyone else gets challenged. Does that happen a lot, in your opinion? (Of course there are other bus and air carriers to consider, too.)
Yes, I know one solution is to put a cover over it so they can't tell what it is. In this case, unfortunately, I only borrowed this one, and the lender did not have a suitable cover that I could carry while riding.