I don't like to start a story on FT and then not provide any updates, so here goes:

• The suitcase was loaded onto the EB in Chicago the following day, so by the time it arrived in Seattle I was already boarding a flight to Germany
• The Amtrak staff agreed to FedEx the case to the German address I would be staying at. I was unhappy when I found that they waited 3 days though before takling it to the local FedEx office (because they were "busy") and then only to find out that they needed a fax of my passport, which delayed things a further day
• When I finally received it in Germany, my Samsonite hard-shell case was broken in four places - including a 5-inch split in the hard-shell itself
• I called Amtrak who mailed me a claim form to my US address (where I am now)

According to the form, for the purposes of a damage claim I need an official letter from a suitcase repair company stating that the case can be repaired (and the cost) or that it cannot be repaired. The letter also needs to state their opinion on the agen and current value of the case.

After much Googling and phoning around I see that the closest luggage repair places are minimum 40 miles away from where I live! I simply don't have the time to do (two?) return trips to one of them - which would come with an associated cost as well. The hard-shell itself is split, so I definately don't want a repair performing as this will reduce the structural integrity of the case.

At this point I have had enough. The case was lost and now it is damaged. I did end up incurring small costs and inconvenience along the way and now to comply with Amtrak damage claim rules I will incur far more. I am inclined to complete the claim form and include a covering letter (including photographs of the damage) but explaining why I have not obtained a letter from a luggage repair company, but I wanted to post here first in case anyone has any relevent experiences they would be kind enough to share.