Ok, so I went up to Holland last week. All this talk got me worked up . God what a beautiful country and people. I grow more impressed each time I visit. So here is what I heard from other travelers, and then what I experienced coming back on the train: other travelers all seemed to agree that it is best left in NL. I heard the same story about your passport getting stamped, but no confirmation. One guy told me he had a German friend who would stick it in the garbage in the WC and go back for it once the police had cleared the train. He said sometimes there are police and dogs waiting for specific passengers to get off, but on the ICE trains, and others that stop at major points for 20 mins+, you can either out wait the police, or be fairly sure that they are waiting for you, so ditch yo efforts! Okay, my experience coming back from Amsterdam was this: a) I was high on mushrooms (not the best choice, the train was crooowwwded and hot), b) although the polizei did show up on the train between Düsseldolf and Köln, there were no dogs. It seemed like they were doing a random check. I don't think the garbage can option would work well. The slots were incredibly narrow and deep. It would be difficult to stash something down there and fetch it out of some snotty rags. You might use duct tape and place it in a more accessible spot. Two police did come into my cabin after I had transfered from Frankfurt. They walked up immediately to an Asian-looking man and asked for his papers. He had his shit, they were happy, and left. Thanks again for everyones' suggestions and experience! With all of the backpackers traveling through A'dam, this will continue to be a valuable thread.
Great of you to take the time post that above. I wanted to know exactly the same question. I suppose an alternative option is to cross the border in a less obvious area, somewhere off the beaten track perhaps. Cheers for the feedback, Goldmund
Thank you nemisis. Your posts on Amsterdam in general have always been extremely helpful. Good luck and godspeed for those who make the effort!