I agree with the recommendation to get the reserved coach seats. IIRC, the baggage accomodations in business class are about the same.

soccr, your link give a press release that is relevant to baggage regulations system-wise; not clear how it relates to the DC/NYC routes. Whether there is checked baggage or not depends on the specific route, not the departure station. For instance, the rserved coach train leaving Was on July 5 at 10:30 Am is the 86 Regional, which does not offer baggage check.

Well, I sit corrected. Went through as many trains as I could find for the route, and the only checked baggage ever referred to was on one or two trains for Baltimore ONLY. Apparently, you can check your bags at Baltimore but you have to immediately claim them again there unless you just want them to travel with you on some weird train loop beginning and ending there!

My thinking in posting the Press Release was that it was evidence that Amtrak, unlike some European lines, is still allowing people to check their bags. But -- with the weird exception of Baltimore -- I was apparently wrong, at least about the northeast corridor.

Those of us taking little day trips along the Bos/NYC/DC corridor often forget about the really long, overnight trains that Amtrak still offers out West (i.e., west of the Hudson). I think those are the ones that will still check luggage.

Aha! If checked baggage is offered at your selected stops on a train route, it's listed in the "amenities" column when you're offered your choice of trains.

Not entirely on the subject, but I laughed when I read Rick's post. Anyone who's spent so much as 15 minutes on the metro system in DC knows that most elevators do not work, and many escalators are out of service--usually the ones going up! They haven't yet figured out that they should use the operating escalators for the upwards trip and let people walk down the non-operating ones.