Sneaking a pet rat onto a LD train?

[Goat'sHeadSoup]

Hello everyone. In a few weeks I will be moving cross country by train. The problem is, I have a pet rat. Do you think it would be possible to sneak her onto the train in my backpack? She would be in a small carrier the entire trip. We have a bedroom, so I figure I can have her carrier out while we are in the room and have her hidden in my backpack when we go to our meals so that the sleeping car attendant doesn't stumble upon her. Is this a feasible plan? Or am I just setting myself up to geting kicked off the train?

That's just nuts. Rat or cat or dog... no pets on trains per Amtrak rules.

 

[user 1215]

But Amtrak already transports and is run by bureaucRATS. hboy:

And what would you do if your roomette was next to someone who was illegally smuggling a cat?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

But Amtrak already transports and is run by bureaucRATS. hboy:

And what would you do if your roomette was next to someone who was illegally smuggling a cat?

A couple years ago when I was on the Builder, a family had a "service" Basset with them in one of the Bedrooms on our car and it turned out the Hund was very quiet and well behaved and quite the source of entertainment at longer stops when one of the teenage daughters would walk it down and out to do its duty. Even many of the the Conductors would take time to pet the dog and hold the train for an extra moment or 2 if the dog hadn't finished.

But when the family reached there destination in Havre, it turns out they had also smuggled a cat into their Suite, keeping it confined to a carrier. But by the time Kitty was revealed, they were already getting off; so I guess there was not much the Crew could do at that point.

 

[Nathanael]

Amtrak really ought to allow properly-caged small animals; every rail service in Europe does (except Eurostar, because Eurostar is stupid). As far as I can tell, every subway system does and every commuter rail system does.

Amtrak doesn't allow any pets due to laziness; it's easier to have a blanket prohibition than sensible rules. Amtrak is able to get away with this sort of restriction because most people have alternatives to train travel. Is it enforced? Probably lazily. Most people care enough about their pets not to take the risk of "smuggling" them and potentially getting thrown off the train without a backup plan.

(Though I would absolutely go on Amtrak with a pet fish in a large water bottle without even thinking about it -- most people don't seem to realize that fish are technically pets, so I'd be sure nobody would give me hassle.)

 

[Eric S]

Eurostar is stupid and Amtrak is lazy? Those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board?

 

[Nathanael]

Eurostar is stupid and Amtrak is lazy? Those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board?

Yes, those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board.

There is no sound reason not to permit small caged pets. Practically every system in the world permits them. In Eurostar's case, you can take British Rail (permits caged pets) to a ferry (permits caged pets) to SNCF (permits caged pets) or even a bus (permits caged pets) on the Eurotunnel shuttle (permits caged pets). There has never been a serious justification given for the prohibition.

 

[Nathanael]

In Amtrak's case, for some trips you can get around the pet rules by travelling on Coaster, Metrolink, Metra, Sounder, MBTA, Metro-North, NJ Transit, SEPTA, MARC, VRE, or Tri-Rail instead (all on the same tracks as Amtrak) -- I believe every single one of these allows small caged pets, though I haven't checked every single one recently.

 

[trainman74]

is anyone else surprised the person is moving and doing so by train?

No, I've heard of other people doing it.

It helps that the checked baggage allowance is fairly generous.

 

[pebbleworm]

The old saw rings true- "No one was ever fired for saying no"...

 

[George Harris]

Eurostar is stupid and Amtrak is lazy? Those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board?

Yes, those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board.

There is no sound reason not to permit small caged pets. Practically every system in the world permits them. In Eurostar's case, you can take British Rail (permits caged pets) to a ferry (permits caged pets) to SNCF (permits caged pets) or even a bus (permits caged pets) on the Eurotunnel shuttle (permits caged pets). There has never been a serious justification given for the prohibition.

There is a sound reason. The SPCA and other animal welfare groups pushed to have regulations passed that required the place where the animals were kept to be temperature controlled and several other things. Welllll: Baggage cars are not temperature controlled, and even if there is an attempt to do so a lengthy period of open door would bring the interior of the car to whatever the outside temperature happened to be. The requlations added considerably to the costs and general nuisance issues in transporting animals. As to keeping them in the coach: Allergy and health issues prohibited that. So far as I know, animalas in the passenger cars, at least in coaches were prohibited long before Amtrak.

You could say that this is another example of the old saying, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Eric: There is no reason to be throwing around insults, either.

I have also done a move by train, but that was pre-Amtrak.

 

[Ctim2]

This has the high potential of being disastrous:

1) You get caught and put off the train

2) The rat creates an odor problem and you are caught and put off the train, Amtrak suffers and charges you a fine for cleaning the room due to health concerns (real or otherwise)

3) You show the rat to someone who makes a big deal out of it to your attendant who goes crazy on you, the train is delayed while you try to explain, and then you get put off the train

4) The rat gets out and is seen and killed by someone who doesn’t know it’s a pet and Amtrak get accused of having a rodent problem and you are left on the next train platform crying over the death of Socrates

Ctim2

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Has Amtrak ever considered making the new boxliner baggage cars heated in the winter and vented in the summer? Seems like there could be a solution to this problem if there was a will.

 

[RRrich]

I have been looking for a way to justify taking my Maine **** Cat with me on my next trip. I know that if he is a service animal then I am OK but **** Cats have been bred to do two things - sleep and catch vermin. If the OP wants to bring his rat my rat catcher has a place with Amtrak. Perhaps he could practice with Miss Polly :giggle:

 

[Texan Eagle]

Bring on the rats, bring on the cats, in fact...

 

[EB_OBS]

This reminds me of when I was pretty new to Amtrak and I was working in the dining car on the Empire Builder. It was early and we were on our way into Seattle on #7 and the conductor downstairs in the dorm had a hamster in a box. I was like " what the heck is that?" He said another passenger had seen it in the middle of the night and he caught it. Nobody had yet claimed it so he was taking it home.

So somebody obviously snuck their hamster onboard and then lost it.

 

[AlanB]

Has Amtrak ever considered making the new boxliner baggage cars heated in the winter and vented in the summer? Seems like there could be a solution to this problem if there was a will.

Well I'm not sure what a boxliner car is, but I believe that the new Viewliner baggage cars will indeed be heated & cooled. Certainly the combo dorm/bag cars have to have it on one end, so it would be a pretty simple matter to just add vents on the baggage side too.

But again, I think that even the full bags will have some climate control.

 

[Anderson]

First, EB OBS...that story made my evening.

As to the pet situation: On the one hand, I'd wish that a disclaimer would be sufficient to get them into the baggage car. On the other hand, I'm not sure about a pet being in a carrier for as long as 72 hours or longer (which seems possible with either a behind-schedule TE/SL run/one of the infamous blizzard-delayed Builders or Zephyrs or with the animal being checked through at Chicago). The big difference between Amtrak and virtually all of the lines mentioned is that while none of them tend to have runs longer than about 18 hours (BR doesn't exceed 12 hours at a go, and I don't think SNCF gets much longer). Getting a pet out for a walk from the baggage car is quite a chore...and frankly not feasible with any sort of reliability at any stop except possibly the "watering" stops for a few of the two-day trains (i.e. ABQ for the SWC).

As to moving by train, there are more and more young people who either don't have licenses or who just lack automobiles. From what I can tell/have read on occasion, it is a growing trend. Additionally, though you can't move everything this way, Amtrak Express does seem to be a cost-effective way to ship a lot of things from A to B, as at least one or two members have attested over time.

Finally, I've been dying to say this since the thread opened: I smell a rat.

 

[Eric S]

Eurostar is stupid and Amtrak is lazy? Those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board?

Yes, those are the reasons they don't permit pets on board.

There is no sound reason not to permit small caged pets. Practically every system in the world permits them. In Eurostar's case, you can take British Rail (permits caged pets) to a ferry (permits caged pets) to SNCF (permits caged pets) or even a bus (permits caged pets) on the Eurotunnel shuttle (permits caged pets). There has never been a serious justification given for the prohibition.

There is a sound reason. The SPCA and other animal welfare groups pushed to have regulations passed that required the place where the animals were kept to be temperature controlled and several other things. Welllll: Baggage cars are not temperature controlled, and even if there is an attempt to do so a lengthy period of open door would bring the interior of the car to whatever the outside temperature happened to be. The requlations added considerably to the costs and general nuisance issues in transporting animals. As to keeping them in the coach: Allergy and health issues prohibited that. So far as I know, animalas in the passenger cars, at least in coaches were prohibited long before Amtrak.

You could say that this is another example of the old saying, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Eric: There is no reason to be throwing around insults, either.

I have also done a move by train, but that was pre-Amtrak.

It was not my intent to insult anyone with my post, but if that is how it came across, then I apologize. I realize that at times it can be hard to convey precisely what one is thinking, particularly in short e-writings, so I recognize that my intent may not be what others actually read.

My intent was to question whether the belief really was that Eurostar and Amtrak have no valid reasons to prohibit animals on board, essentially whether "stupid" and "lazy" were just quick simplifications. You certainly raise at least one sound reason, and I believe a number of others were mentioned in a recent thread about bringing dogs (or other pets) on board.

 

[haolerider]

Has Amtrak ever considered making the new boxliner baggage cars heated in the winter and vented in the summer? Seems like there could be a solution to this problem if there was a will.

The only plans that I am aware of and have seen, are the plans developed many years ago to have a pet car for the Auto Train, sponsored by a pet food company or a pet related company - - - Purina, PetSmart, etc. the plans have been drawn and the car deigned to allow for an attendant, provided by the sponsor, cages for the dogs and pet relatd items for sale. The passengers could have access to the car during the trip and could walk them in the middle of the night when the train stops for fuel and water. It is ready to go; however it has never been strongly endorsed by Amtrak management. I believe it is something that could work and attract more of the snowbird market.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I believe it is something that could work and attract more of the snowbird market.

Oh sure, first its rats, now someone wants to bring birds aboard? :huh:

^_^

 

[fairviewroad]

There is no sound reason not to permit small caged pets.

Actually, there is a "sound" reason: The SOUNDS those little critters make.

 

[afigg]

The only plans that I am aware of and have seen, are the plans developed many years ago to have a pet car for the Auto Train, sponsored by a pet food company or a pet related company - - - Purina, PetSmart, etc. the plans have been drawn and the car deigned to allow for an attendant, provided by the sponsor, cages for the dogs and pet relatd items for sale. The passengers could have access to the car during the trip and could walk them in the middle of the night when the train stops for fuel and water. It is ready to go; however it has never been strongly endorsed by Amtrak management. I believe it is something that could work and attract more of the snowbird market.

I can see how that would be more practical as the AutoTrain has only 2 passenger stops on the route. Lot less of a risk of dogs or cats getting loose at interim stops while another pet is being unloaded or loaded in the baggage car. Still having people take their dogs for a walk at the fuel stop may have resulted in a lot of complaints about people not picking up after their digs from whoever owns the refueling stop.

However, Amtrak really has little motivation to undertake major initiatives to attract more passengers to the AT. The AT is frequently getting sold out for the peak northbound and southbound travel seasons. Amtrak can't expand the train, so as the AT approaches a persistent high load factor, why muddle their no pets policy with an exception for the AT?

 

[Anderson]

Because if they can push the load factor up further, they can probably drive the fares up far enough to put the train in the black on an annual basis? I'll be very interested to see what's in the PIP there this year, but that's the one train that might actually be able to clear that bar in the foreseeable future.

 

[SarahZ]

I'm sorry, I have to say it.

Amrat.

Two days later, this is still making me chuckle.

 

[Anderson]

I'm sorry, I have to say it.

Amrat.

Two days later, this is still making me chuckle.

*snickers*

I missed that one. Would that make the one that EB OBS saw back in the 70s an Amster?