Getting off the train

[Mary]

Is there a suggestion for getting off the train with wheeled luggage at stations with wide gaps at platform? Without conductor assistance, I would have lost my balance.

 

[ScottC4746]

My suggestion is to lay the luggage so the handle faces out the door. Carefully get yourself onto the platform and then you can just grab the handle of the big. I assume the gaps you mean is the height gap.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Mary, the best advice I can give is to hand your luggage to the car attendant, have them put it down, then they can help you to step off of the train *depending on the train and the location*

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I guess you should slowly lower it down until you can pull it off. But I'm glad the conductor helped you.

 

[the_traveler]

I've always saw the conductor or attendant help get bags off before the passenger steps off.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I thought the golden rule about carryon luggage was that you have to be able to carry it aboard without assistance. Does this rule not apply to carrying the luggage off again?

 

[amtkstn]

You are fine if you keep your carryon to 50 pounds or less.

 

[amamba]

My guess is that this guest was on the NEC and the "gap" is referring to the gap between the high platform and the door of the amfleet or acela cars. In that case, there is no car attendant or anyone to help. You must be able to carry your luggage yourself over the gap.

The gap is kind of big at certain stations - my H observed a small child falling into the gap between the train and the platform in PVD two weeks ago. Luckily an amtrak police officer was onthe platform and saw it happen, as well as some other pax, and they all assisted in pulling the child back up (his leg got stuck in the gap).

I thinkthe first suggestion was the best. Walk off the train with the handle and the wheels facing out. Turn around once you are on the platform and grab the suitcase and pull. It should roll out and over the gap and onto the platform.

 

[amamba]

I thought the golden rule about carryon luggage was that you have to be able to carry it aboard without assistance. Does this rule not apply to carrying the luggage off again?

Well there is no checked baggage on most NEC trains, so how do you suggest the elderly or those that need assistance travel on the train?!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

My guess is that this guest was on the NEC and the "gap" is referring to the gap between the high platform and the door of the amfleet or acela cars. In that case, there is no car attendant or anyone to help. You must be able to carry your luggage yourself over the gap.

The gap is kind of big at certain stations - my H observed a small child falling into the gap between the train and the platform in PVD two weeks ago. Luckily an amtrak police officer was onthe platform and saw it happen, as well as some other pax, and they all assisted in pulling the child back up (his leg got stuck in the gap).

I thinkthe first suggestion was the best. Walk off the train with the handle and the wheels facing out. Turn around once you are on the platform and grab the suitcase and pull. It should roll out and over the gap and onto the platform.

I agree that it might have been on the NEC. I had trouble rolling my bag (with a couple of other bags "attached" to it) onto a NER in WIL. I was heading to WAS to catch the CL which is why I had a big bag w/smaller bags strapped on.

 

[jsreeves]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

 

[the_traveler]

Even on the NEC, some station do not have high platforms, or if they do very short ones. One example is KIN. Every time I've been there, the conductor helps the passengers down the steps (when used) by taking the bag(s) down the steps before the passenger goes down.

 

[the_traveler]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

That statement basically refers to someone such as if they're in a wheelchair.

 

[PRR 60]

If a conductor is not by the door you might have to depend on the kindness of strangers. Most NEC stops are busy, so a fellow passenger may be able to lift the bag out of the train and onto the platform. Just ask. Most people are more than willing to lend a hand. On the NEC, stops can be brief, so looking for a crew member to help may not be possible.

 

[jsreeves]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

That statement basically refers to someone such as if they're in a wheelchair.

Special needs and disabilities doesn't always mean someone is confined to a wheelchair.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

That statement basically refers to someone such as if they're in a wheelchair.

Special needs and disabilities doesn't always mean someone is confined to a wheelchair.

Nor does your quote necessarily apply to a healthy adult who just happens to have trouble rolling/lifting their luggage on or off the train due to the gap. I had no idea I would have trouble getting my bags onto the train so I would not have thought to ask for assistance at the time I made my reservation.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

this only works at stations where there IS ASSISTANCE.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

this only works at stations where there IS ASSISTANCE.

And if one end of your trip does not have assistance, then clicking that option (if you're making your reservations via the "disabled passenger" link), it will tell you assistance is not available (or something like that) even if it is available at one end (or at a layover).

 

[jsreeves]

From the Amtrak website:

"The best way to make sure that you receive the assistance you require at a station is to specifically request assistance when you make your reservation."

That statement basically refers to someone such as if they're in a wheelchair.

Special needs and disabilities doesn't always mean someone is confined to a wheelchair.

Nor does your quote necessarily apply to a healthy adult who just happens to have trouble rolling/lifting their luggage on or off the train due to the gap. I had no idea I would have trouble getting my bags onto the train so I would not have thought to ask for assistance at the time I made my reservation.

Whatever...not trying to start an argument with you. I was just trying to offer the OP a suggestion.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I thought the golden rule about carryon luggage was that you have to be able to carry it aboard without assistance. Does this rule not apply to carrying the luggage off again?

Well there is no checked baggage on most NEC trains, so how do you suggest the elderly or those that need assistance travel on the train?!

I didn't realize we were talking about elderly and handicapped folks. The people I was thinking of are those folks who are not that old or disabled but simply over-pack beyond their ability to handle their own luggage without depending on the kindness of healthier individuals.

 

[Train Rider]

I've seen plenty of people out there who think rolling suitcases can only be rolled...they are never to be picked up by the handle.

 

[amamba]

I thought the golden rule about carryon luggage was that you have to be able to carry it aboard without assistance. Does this rule not apply to carrying the luggage off again?

Well there is no checked baggage on most NEC trains, so how do you suggest the elderly or those that need assistance travel on the train?!

I didn't realize we were talking about elderly and handicapped folks. The people I was thinking of are those folks who are not that old or disabled but simply over-pack beyond their ability to handle their own luggage without depending on the kindness of healthier individuals.

Well I guess we all made our own assumptions about the OP, who hasn't returned to clarify. When she said gap I immediately though high level platform and NEC.

When the OP said that they almost lost their balance, I assumed that it was an elderly woman with a small wheeled suitcase.

Since the OP hasn't returned, I guess we will just have to ponder.

That being said, I sometimes board at WFD which is on the NEC and doesn't have a high level platform AT ALL. Thus one always has to board the amfleet cars from the group ground and they pop the stairs down. There is no checked baggage at this station, either. I boarded once with a laptop bag and a roller suitcase (the size that you can carry on an airplane) and I had difficulty getting the suitcase up the stairs and onto the train. It is just really high and really narrow. I am a perfectly able-bodied woman in her early 30s. Luckily at WFD you have to enter at a door with a conductor and they are generally very nice about helping.

 

[SarahZ]

The stairs on the Wolverine and Blue Water are really steep. A suitcase that is otherwise easy to carry can sometimes give me balance issues, especially if the steps are slippery with rain or snow/ice. Going up is fine, but going down always makes me nervous.

If the conductor/car attendant isn't helping with baggage and taking passenger's hands to help them step off safely, I put my wheelie suitcase behind me instead of in front of me so I don't over-balance on the steps and fall forward. Once I'm on the ground, I simply turn around and lift/drag my suitcase off the bottom step of the train.

I never pack so much that I can't lift my suitcase easily. When packing, I always lift it to waist level, using one arm, to test it. That's how I have to lift it to board the Wolverine/Blue Water since I use one hand on the railing. If it's too heavy, I move some items to my backpack.

 

[AlanB]

I thought the golden rule about carryon luggage was that you have to be able to carry it aboard without assistance. Does this rule not apply to carrying the luggage off again?

The so called "golden rule" applies to those times where you are in violation of the existing carry-on limits or dimensions. It has nothing to do with someone who is within the normal guidelines, yet needs some extra help getting on/off for whatever reasons.

 

[the_traveler]

I've seen plenty of people out there who think rolling suitcases can only be rolled...they are never to be picked up by the handle.

You meant it can be done? :blush: You learn something new every day! :giggle: