Brian,

I have traveled all of the routs on Amtrak, and had a blast on each and every trip. Last year I visited my Uncle in Tuscon departing from Atlanta on the Crescent with the mandatory stopover in New Orleans continuing on to Tuscon on the Sunset Limited. On your loop you will find several mind-numbing sections, even for hardy railroaders. After the first hours of the great plains west of Chicago (corn, soy beans, corn, wheat, corn, etc.) it is time for a good book. And after the East bound Sunset breaks into the desert, there are many great vistas, but again keep those books handy.

Notes on Amtrak cars:

The Super Liners are nice, but are in various stages of upgrade. For the gadget carrying traveler in need of a recharge Amtrak is in the process of adding power outlets to most coaches and the observation / lounges, and adding more sockets in the sleepers. But on my last trip, I spent many hours waiting to share an outlet to recharge my PC and camera batteries. For the return trip from Tuscon, I actually purchased a short extension cord with three outlets so that my traveling companions an I could share one of the four outlets in the lounge. I also used the cord to extend the power from the sink over to the seat in the sleeper.

The bunks are small and the pillows are thin. If available you can usually talk them into an additional pillow, but I carry an inflatable pillow to provide a little more volume under my head. I also found that a set of airline booties (socks) were great for wearing on the train.

I am in the process of planning a trip to New England this year, and if time affords I will be taking Amtrak up again.

Have a great trip,
Ken