We’re taking the 91 silver star this weekend with a standard bedroom from Philadelphia 30th st and I wanted to ask if I can fit two full suitcases in the overhead storage areas to avoid having to check and then wait for them at our destination. I appreciate any advice.
Sleeper accommodation discussion
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Here is what I posted a while back about a viewliner I sleeping car roomette. I am still not sure about the viewliner II dimensions but it seems to me that someone has said they are the same but corrections would be welcome:
Here is what I posted then:
"The overhead storage bin in a Viewliner roomette is 21 inches deep, 16 inches tall and 35 and half inches wide so you can measure your luggage and compare the measurements to this space. There is a raised rim at the opening which is one or two inches tall and there is a railing at the opening to hold the luggage in place.
Note that in order to place luggage into the storage bin, the luggage has to clear a protruding light fixture and the railing mentioned above and this clearance is a little over 12 inches. So although the storage bin is 16 inches tall, a suitcase with rigid sides much over 12 inches thick would not fit into the bin because you wouldn't be able to get it through the opening."
Has anyone taken a tape measure on a trip on a Viewliner II sleeper and can confirm whether those dimensions are the same as on a Viewliner I or if they have changed? I intend to do so on my next trip but that may not be for a while."
Check the Grounded Life Travel channel on YouTube (they also have a blog) for their videos discussing Viewliner I and II sleeping car rooms. A bedroom will have more storage space than a roomette (and probably more storage space than a Superliner bedroom). My husband and I plan to each take a duffle bag for our Texas Eagle trip in a Superliner bedroom this fall (and I will also be bringing a small purse and a backpack with crochet supplies), but whether or not you can fit 2 full suitcases inside a Viewliner bedroom may depend on how large the suitcases are and whether or not they are soft-sided and can survive a bit of squishing.
The wait for luggage doesn't take THAT much time. Even in the Bedroom, space is at a premium. I always check larger bags when I can. That's my advice to you.
By standard bedroom do you mean bedroom or roomette. If you mean bedroom then I do think you can fit two suitcases. One area is beside the top bunk and extends out over the hallway and the other area is over the sink. Now the question is can you hoist the large suitcases up in that area. I would just check it and then you don't have to worry about dragging it down the narrow hallway.
If you mean a roomette it is going to be hard to get a full suticase up that high in the storage room. It might fit in the area designed for storage of a suitcase but there is not much room. Much easier to store two overhead size luggage pieces since you are lifting one smaller piece at a time.
Just took a trip in VL1 and VL2 roomettes and VL2 bedroom. We had one large suitcase and 2 overhead size pieces. Segment one we did not check anything in a roomette and wished we had done so, and our SCA even was asked if he wanted us to have him take the larger piece back to the luggage car area. After that the large suitcase was checked everytime, including when we were in a bedroom and in stations that was not able to check baggage (when that happened we were asked and accepted this time.)
If all you have is are two large pieces just keep one piece in your room and have the essentials in that luggage.
Thanks @McLeansvilleAppFan @Shanson @MccfamschoolMom @Rasputin for the great answers and advice. It is a bedroom (not roomette). All your good info has convinced me just to check them and not worry about hoisting heavy suitcases up to the storage bins. Looking forward to the trip! Thanks!
I’d check the bags. The wait is minimal and sometimes you can pick them up trainside. Why schlep them on?
I usually carry a large-ish suitcase, not huge, within Amtrak carry on limits. It is usually packed in the neighborhood of 45 pounds to support a 3 week trip.
I get that into the Viewliner roomette's luggage cubby by using the upper berth as a dumb waiter. I lower the berth, put my bag on it and raise it to the middle detent. That has the top of the berth even with the cubby. Then I stand on the step/toilet and slide the bag over into the cubby.
Great methodology!!
When we first started traveling long distance on Amtrak, we took full advantage of the liberal luggage allowance and traveled with at least two large suitcases that needed to be checked. We eventually got this down to one large suitcase, but even this proved an inconvenience, particularly when it arrived on a later train than ours.
For our last few trips, everything we’ve taken with us was distributed among our carry-on items. (Since some of our trains weren’t accepting checked luggage, this made things a lot less complicated for us.)
After returning home from our last trip, we revised our packing lists, organizing everything into three different categories: (1) things that we wanted to have with us in our bedroom while traveling; (2) things that we felt comfortable leaving in our carry-on suitcases downstairs in the luggage rack; and (3) things that we wouldn’t need until we’ve arrived at our destination. For our next LD trip to visit family, we plan to mail back most of the items in the “things that we wouldn’t need until we’ve arrived at our destination” category. This will not only give us more room in our carry-on bags but also reduce their total weight; always an important consideration when traveling.
For our overnight trains, we now travel exclusively in bedrooms. We leave the top berth down and use it for a storage shelf for the carry-on items we want to keep with us. In the past, we have stored all our carry-on items on the top berth since we no longer use it. (There is enough room in the bottom berth for the both of us.)
That's what I did as well and works fine. For Greensboro, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis the alighting time was waking up from sleep or others around me sleeping and not having to reverse the process and being loud.
At last weigh-in we had our large luggage at 49.5 lbs. Impressive in my view.
The Viewliner roomette has a place next to one of the seats that's designed for hanging clothes, but I can balance a pretty decent size suitcase on the ledge and hold it in place with the provided strap. This does interfere a bit with the seat that's next to the suitcase, but when I'm traveling solo, it really doesn't matter, I just use the other seat. When I travel solo in a Viewliner, I use the upper bunk, so it definitely doesn't matter. My backpack either sits on the unoccupied seat, or I put in on top of the toilet/steps and move it to the unoccupied seat when I need to use the space. This configuration is similar on the Superliner II, but the Superliner I has a (worthless) closet that makes it impossible to store a decent size suitcase in the roomette. Fortunately, Superliners have a reasonably large luggage rack on the lower level, so that's where the Suitcase goes. (Even on the Superliner II, I am starting to have trouble hauling a big suitcase up the spiral stairs, and I just use the lower level luggage rack. )
If 2 people are traveling in a Viewliner roomette, this doesn't work, so you have to use the overhead storage cubby the extends out over the ceiling of the hallway. I have only done this once, and we had the sleeping car attendant hoist the bag into place and retrieve it.
With these facilities and my luggage limited to a rollerbag and a backpack, I have ridden many Amtrak long-distance trains without needing to rely on checking baggage. The only time I've checked baggage is for a couple of western ski and snowshoe trips I took, where I checked my skis and a gear duffle with snowshoes, boots, and other assorted bulky winter gear.
