My wife and I will be travelling across the country on the Capital Limited {coach} and then the Empire Builder {sleeper} in order to visit family for Christmas, and we are very much looking forward to it. We've done the Autotrain multiple times to Florida, but in that case we always have a really huge luggage container (the car!) so we have a new logistics problem to solve.

How do we handle our luggage in Chicago? We're staying two nights in Chicago but if we can somehow reduce our luggage requirement while in town, that makes it easier for us to move about.

How long can you leave a checked bag unclaimed at Amtrak and/or is there some special place to put luggage for the duration of a short stay in Chicago?

How secured is the bag while in the care of Amtrak?

How easy is it to get your bag back after an extended (2 day) hiatus from it?

Obviously if it is easier, we're going to have to collect our bags and then recheck them for the second leg.

I'm mostly looking for options and stuff I should know when I arrive in Chicago so I'm not spending a bunch of time in the station trying to figure it all out.

Cheers!
Byron C Zimmer