Shipping "prohibited items" via Amtrak Express?

[LongDistanceMover]

How thoroughly does AE look for "prohibited items" and has anyone tried to ship such items? Before you flame me, please let me clarify -- I'm thinking of non-dangerous items like electronics; no firearms or chemicals or anything like that. And yes, I would assume full responsibility for damages, yadda yadda, and follow the other guidelines (e.g. nothing over 50lbs).

Actually, that last bit brings me to a second question -- how safe are the shipments from theft? Those boxes aren't stored in the same areas as checked baggage are they?

 

[Shanghai]

Does Amtrak Express Baggage service still exist?

I thought this service was eliminated some time ago.

 

[LongDistanceMover]

Erm, I'm referring to the shipping service: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241267371736. Is this different from the (defunct) baggage service you're thinking of?

 

[had8ley]

Does Amtrak Express Baggage service still exist?

I thought this service was eliminated some time ago.

The Express box car service were eliminated but Express Baggage service is carried in the baggage cars of all LD trains and #66-67.

 

[AlanB]

Express Trak, was a freight service that Amtrak ran for a few years that in theory was supposed to make Amtrak bags of money. Instead it made very little money, if any, and it angered passengers to no end as they waited for freight cars to be switched on or off the train.

Imagine being 2 hours late into Chicago and you are within sight of the train station, when your LD train stops by the Amtrak yard for a half an hour while crews cut off the freight cars. It also angered the freight RR's who saw this as Amtrak stealing their money while paying nothing extra for the priviledge of moving freight.

Express Baggage however remains as a service at Amtrak. To the OP, Express Bags go into the same unlocked car as checked bags. And theft while not common, can indeed happen. Especially if someone gets an inkling that there is something valuable in those bags/boxes. That's why Amtrak has those rules. Stuff also gets bounced around sometimes pretty good, so another reason not to put a laptop in a bag/box as even if it doesn't get stolen, it might not be operational when it's returned.

 

[Anderson]

As a rule, if it's not prohibited because of safety issues (explosives, for example), there are some stations where you can simply sign a waiver to get stuff in there (or so sayeth customer service).