Texas Eagle and Cardinal Trip Report.. and missing checked baggage

[saxpower]

Y'all had previously answered some questions prior to my Cardinal/Texas Eagle trip (Wilmington, DE to Springfield and back) and asked I report back. I reported on my outbound trip on the thread with the questions, but rather than find that I figured I'd start a new thread about by return trip.


Texas Eagle was 3+ hours late into Springfield. By my count, 3 coaches, one cafe/diner car and one sleeper. I was in coach. I was able to acess the cafe car without a problem (though they were out of alot). They did shut down the cafe car about 2 hours from Chicago so the cafe car employees could clean up and take inventory. They did make a "last call" before the closure but still - 2 hours in the middle of the day seems a bit much. Actually, the shutdown would have been during lunch hour if we were on time, but perhaps the fact we were running late meant closing tasks could not be completed after arrival without incurring overtime, which Amtrak likely didn't want to pay for.

We did make up about 20 minutes by the time we reached Chicago. I had set my schedule to spend a night in Chicago to see a few sights, so no worries about making a connection.

As an aside, some of the "Amtrak Midwest" trains I saw in Chicago were being pulled by the new locomotives.

Cardinal back to Wilmington was fine. I was in a Roomette for this leg (Amtrak upgraded me to a bedroom for the way out). No real complaints- found it a little hard to get comfortable on the bed due to it being narrow, but otherwise OK. Meals (dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner) were all fine. We wound up delayed on the way home because first we had to "pick up" a disabled engine, then had signal problems, then had to stop due to a tornado warning up ahead. Got into Wilmington about an hour and a half late.

Then the problem came... I had checked my bag in Chicago, so I went to Wilmington Baggage claim to learn no baggage had been taken off the train in Wilmington. The baggage claim person was kind enough to get in touch with the conductor of the train who confirmed the bag wasn't there. The Wilmington baggage employee mentioned something to the extent of "Chicago needing to get its act together" and provided me with the number to call for Chicago's baggage department (By this point, it was 10 PM so everything was closed). Luckily I had taken yesterday off "just in case". I called the number provided and got an automated message saying I had reached Chicago Lost and Found and encouraging me to send them an email about my lost item. Figuring my issue wasnt a "lost and found" issue, I decided to call Amtrak Customer Service. I asked the auto-attendant for an agent and was asked for what type of agent I needed. Any description of a misdirected baggage issue resulted in a message that I needed to fill out a lost and found form online. Finally, I just repeated "agent" until I was transferred to a real person. (Well actually, a recording telling me wait times are more than a half hour and to set up a call back, which I did). The callback came reasonably quickly, actually. After suggesting my best option was to go talk to the people in Chicago (after which I pointed out, as I had told the agent already, that I was in Wilmington and had just taken the 24+ hour train from Chicago), I was told all I could do was fill out a lost and found form online, which I did (noting within it that this Amtrak, not me, lost the item). I recieved an return e-mail saying they'd investigate for 30 days and if they can't find it they'd let me know and close the case. Essentially, I'm being treated like I left my bag on a bench in Union Station, not like I checked the bag into Amtrak's care. Why do I bet Amtrak is going to be "unable to locate it" within 30 days and close my case?

I know people on here have been helpful in suggesting individuals in Amtrak management to e-mail who might help with customer service issues. Any suggestions of who I can e-mail before I default to my Congresswoman and Senators? I am meanwhile starting to collect documentation of what was in the bag (some of which, including the bag itself, were purchased on Amazon for this trip, making documentation easier if it comes to that).

Thanks again for your help prepping for the trip and any suggestions you have with respect to the "lost bag" issue.

 

[GAT]

Have you checked again with Wilmington baggage claim? Your bag might have arrived on a different train. I checked a bag in Chicago on the Cardinal to Atlanta. It was not on the train at the transfer point in Charlottesville. I had to go on to Atlanta without it (I thought). But the bag had been sent on the Capitol Limited and placed on my Crescent train somewhere north of Charlottesville, so it arrived with me in Atlanta.

So, your bag might be waiting for you at Wilmington (?)

 

[Cal]

Have you checked again with Wilmington baggage claim? Your bag might have arrived on a different train. I checked a bag in Chicago on the Cardinal to Atlanta. It was not on the train at the transfer point in Charlottesville. I had to go on to Atlanta without it (I thought). But the bag had been sent on the Capitol Limited and placed on my Crescent train somewhere north of Charlottesville, so it arrived with me in Atlanta.

So, your bag might be waiting for you at Wilmington (?)

This is my thought too. However I don’t think NER’s nor acelas have checked bags so while the CL and LSL are faster I don’t know how it would’ve gotten from NYP/WAS to Wilmington.

Edit: after doing some research seems like it could’ve taken the Capitol limited then the Crescent, Palmetto (unlikely), Carolinian, silver star, and possibly others.

 

[GAT]

This is my thought too. However I don’t think NER’s nor acelas have checked bags so while the CL and LSL are faster I don’t know how it would’ve gotten from NYP/WAS to Wilmington.

Edit: after doing some research seems like it could’ve taken the Capitol limited then the Crescent, Palmetto (unlikely), Carolinian, silver star, and possibly others.

Yes. Capital limit and crescent. That's how my bag got to Atlanta..

 

[saxpower]

I'll check, but you'd think it would be easier for them to just put it on the Cardinal (which goes direct to Wilmington from Chicago) than to put it on the CL or LSL then transfer it again. Then again, that assumes logic is being used.

 

[GAT]

An Amtrak agent explained to me that in my case, since the CL left a couple of hours before the Cardinal and could still connect to my Crescent, they sent them that way because I checked my bag in Chicago well before either train was scheduled to depart and they wanted to keep the baggage area as clear as possible. I can understand that, with Chicago being as busy as it is. Did you check your bag in before the CL left Chicago?

Good luck! Let us know if this is what happened.

 

[Dakota 400]

An Amtrak agent explained to me that in my case, since the CL left a couple of hours before the Cardinal and could still connect to my Crescent, they sent them that way because I checked my bag in Chicago well before either train was scheduled to depart and they wanted to keep the baggage area as clear as possible. I can understand that, with Chicago being as busy as it is. Did you check your bag in before the CL left Chicago?

Good luck! Let us know if this is what happened.

I have had that happen when I have flown. The luggage takes an earlier plane and arrives at my destination before I do. (Does become a bit stress causing, though, when the baggage carousel for your flight stops and your bags have not been on it. The bags were in the baggage service office.)

 

[jis]

I have had that happen when I have flown. The luggage takes an earlier plane and arrives at my destination before I do. (Does become a bit stress causing, though, when the baggage carousel for your flight stops and your bags have not been on it. The bags were in the baggage service office.)

This has happened to me a couple times specially when I had a long layover at a connecting point. But on United I can usually get my bag's itinerary in the App and know before hand where it is. I wish Amtrak had something similar.

 

[saxpower]

Actually, it looks like the Cardinal actually left before the CL, so there would not be much point putting it on the CL if the reason was to get it out of Chicago. I attempted to call the station today- Amtrak no longer provides station phone numbers on its website. Google searches all pointed me to the general 800 number. I did find two potential phone numbers- one went unanswered (admittedly, I called after business hours, but the station is staffed into the night- and you'd think there would be recorded message saying when the phones were manned. Yes, Wilmington is small but the station is busier than you'd think) and the other is actually for Enterprise Rent a Car (which used to have an office in the station). More of the usual "we'd really rather you not be able to contact a live person" mentality that many companies have these days. I looked around Amtrak's page- there is a form to send an e-mail. It gives you a list of topics to chosed from. Checked baggage is not one of them. Current plan is to wait until Monday for a response, then get write my congresswoman/senators and start collecting documentation of the items in the luggage and their cost.

There really is no reason I should not be able to track the luggage like a UPS/FedEx package.

 

[Cal]

Actually, it looks like the Cardinal actually left before the CL, so there would not be much point putting it on the CL if the reason was to get it out of Chicago

But by routing it on the CL and one of the other options I posted (except the Palmetto) would result in it getting to Wilmington before the Cardinal

 

[GAT]

I don't k now how far you are from Wilmington station, but if you're having trouble getting through on the phone, can you just drive over there and have a look for yourself? And before they decide it's abandoned luggage and ship it off somewhere?

Just for future reference, there are some great GPS and GMS tracking devices available to put in your luggage, but most of them do require a subscription fee.

 

[saxpower]

ut by routing it on the CL and one of the other options I posted (except the Palmetto) would result in it getting to Wilmington before the Cardinal

Perhaps- but Amtrak should be able to tell me that, and I should not have to go to the train station to see if its there. Far too heavy to carry back to my office, and parking is tight in the area. I'll try by phone again tomorrow.

On the up side, I did get a form response to my e-mail to the Office of Customer Relations (saying the e-mails are answered in the order received) so at least someone SHOULD be reading my message (now, when that may be, who knows).

 

[saxpower]

I don't k now how far you are from Wilmington station, but if you're having trouble getting through on the phone, can you just drive over there and have a look for yourself? And before they decide it's abandoned luggage and ship it off somewhere?

Just for future reference, there are some great GPS and GMS tracking devices available to put in your luggage, but most of them do require a subscription fee.

I could actually walk there from my office (though I doubt I can do much more than ask... I do have my claim ticket for that purpose. Security-wise, they won't let me actually look wherever they store luggage).. However, I could not walk back to my office with the baggage (simply too heavy-a few blocks to my hotel in Chicago was a struggle- this is almost a mile). Parking is limited at the station so I don't want to drive down there unless I know the luggage is there. Not trying to be difficult, just noting doing so will be a chore which, again, should not be necessary.

 

[saxpower]

All- The bag was, in fact at Wilmington Station. Strange, because the other potential trains for it to come in on arrived before mine and I do believe the baggage attendent checked for it the night I arrived. To avoid parking issues, I needed to go by the station on a weekend and the first weekend after my trip I had to isolate because of possible COVID exposure (not on my trip). Luckily, I did not catch it, and went to the station last Saturday and it was there.

It does lead to some questions though: It DID have an Amtrak luggage tag on it - given it had likely been sitting there going on two weeks, why wasn't I contacted (and Wilmington is small enough I can't imagine there are not TOO many unclaimed bags. While every (or almost every) NEC train stops here, we have five LD trains [counting the SS/SM as one train]). Also, when I filed the Lost and Found Report, and later a missing checked luggage report (after finding out how to do so without guidance from Amtrak) shouldn't my destination station been one of the first places to check? (There's also the fact there is no way for customers to call the station to inquire, but thats another issue).

Anyway, in the end, I got the bag back which is the imporatnt thing,.

 

[GAT]

Happy to hear you got your bag. Good work! I think the takeaway lesson, based on your and my experience and those of other posters here, is that checked bags - at least those checked in Chicago involving train transfers - won't always go on our trains but will usually end up where they're supposed to end up. Also, that we have to be proactive in retrieving them. Not entirely satisfactory, but that seems to be the way a lot of the service world is these days.