I've read that when you make a reservation in coach you are assigned a seat. No where on my downloaded ticket do I see a seat assignment. I know when I booked the trip I chose upper level. Will I be assigned a seat when I check in at the terminal?
Amtrak does not assign seats except in the Northeast Corridor in Business Class and Acela First Class.
There is no such thing as "check in". It's not an airline.
How seats are assigned,
if they are assigned, varies widely depending on the station and crew.
1. No assignment. Board the train and select a seat that doesn't have a person in it or a seat check above it.
2. No assignment but designated seating areas by group size. Some attendants designate seats for "Groups of 3 or more" and "Groups of 2". Same as 1 except select an open seat appropriate for your party.
3. Directed to a specific car. At many intermediate stops not all doors will be opened. If boarding at a major city, you may be asked your destination and directed to a specific car, the one that will be opened at that stop.
4. Assigned by attendant/conductor at trainside. It seems a bit more common on non-NEC business class. It also is more likely at zero dark thirty stops where they don't want you wandering around disturbing people.
5. Assigned by conductor at entrance to platform. At some terminal stations and intermediate stations where the operating crew changes, conductors will lift/scan tickets and assign seats at the entrance to the platform. They'll give you a seat check with the car and seat on it. This used to be the process at Seattle and Portland, but no longer is. They still lift tickets before going out to the platform, but no longer assign seats.
Don't worry about getting a seat on the upper level. There are 62 seats on the upper level of a Superliner coach, and just 12 on the lower level. IIRC, boarding passes for lower level seats will say "Lower Level Seat" while those for upper level will just say "Coach Seat" since upper level is the default.
