I did recently Chicago to Las Vegas with the Southwest Chief and, while it's not as shiny, it was still a lovely train (the cabins, the restaurant and the fantastic viewing lounge), with great service and quite comfy. It was a very enjoyable trip, would recommend it to anyone who loves train travel. Looking forward to taking the California Zephyr some day.

The new Acela Express trains don't look too shabby.

Of only we could get the tracks to take advantage of them. Oh, and cut several stops off it as well.