Travel man1

I have been noticing some very peculiar things when it comes especially to air travel vs travel by Amtrak, Greyhound, etc. In particular, baggage allowances and prohibited items. For example, I collect antique/vintage fans and am also a member of the Antique Fan Collector's Association. I have read on their forums about fellow collectors bringing even something as unusual as an Emerson 29646 or General Electric Type AOU oscilating fan as a carry on item on a plane. Amtrak, however, apparently prohibits those exact items in both checked and carryon baggage! In fact, it even says on Amtrak's web page; Household items including antiques, appliances, artwork, and even tires; Prohibited in both checked and carry on. Also it seems, there are items that are allowed in checked baggage with air travel but are prohibited in checked baggage on Amtrak and Greyhound. For example, you can pack a meat cleaver in checked baggage for air travel, but meat cleavers are forbidden in both checked and carry on with Greyhound.

Something looks seriously wrong here. You can never hijack a train and crash it into a building. Trains don't fly, and in fact are limited in their movements by the track. Plus there is absolutely no way for one to access the locomotive without leaving the coach and climbing over a whole bunch of natural obstacles that will prevent one from accessing the locomotive like a brick wall. Anyone, including myself, would think there would be a much broader list of items allowed in carry on baggage with Amtrak especially, including but not limited to antique fans and heaters (even including, for instance, that 1950's Dominion box fan and/or that Simplex Sunbowl space heater you bought at a flea market you went to at your destination), nail clippers, most sports equipment such as especially wooden baseball bats, baseballs, bowling balls, tennis racquets, badminton items, most silverware such as forks and spoons, and yes, possibly even box cutters.

emma69

You can access the coaches from the locomotive and vice versa on many trains, including the one I take every day - it isn't something I would necessarily try but it isn't that hard (there are steps up on to the locomotive from a door in the end coach) and I have seen people (train crew!) do it when needed.

There are been multiple train hijackings around the world, usually to hold the passengers captive rather than kill them all, but the right train on the right track could be used to devastating effect (for example, going too fast on a section derailing the train into buildings, roads etc. or slamming in to the end of a rail line (I am not entirely sure how robust the bumpers would be against a full pelt train intent on hitting). Ram a passenger train into the back of a freight train carrying hazardous or explosive materials in a built up area, and you would get damage and deaths akin to the Lac Megantic disaster.

I strongly suspect tho, that antiques have nothing to do with terror attacks, and all about limiting their liability against damages.

swag

I'll agree, it's weird.

https://www.amtrak.com/prohibited-items

Most of the list falls under safety concerns.

But these are excluded from both checked and carry-on:
Valuable items are allowed as carry-ons, with Amtrak taking no liability. So why can I carry on jewelry but not artwork? Why can I check a properly packed $1000 handgun, but not a $30 blender?

Gullywhumper

I noticed that a while back when looking into the possibility of going by rail instead of air for a change of pace. I wonder if it has to do with access to the right of way of the freight trains. Sort of a non-compete clause in the contract that requires Amtrak to only carry passengers and their travel related personal luggage and nothing that would normally be shipped.

lhrsfo

I find Eurostar to be more lenient across the board than airlines (eg liquids allowed) except that airlines do permit items in checked baggage that you simply cannot take onto Eurostar under any circumstances (eg knives).