A few years ago we took Amtrak from Seattle to Chicago and back. We had a "state room" that came with very thin mattresses, a miserable shower down the hall, a lot of rocking around when we tried to sleep, long waits on the side while freight trains got preference to the freeway, and porters who spent most of their energy hiding out.

Meals were o.k., but we were put off when Native Americans at our table one morning were ignored by our obnoxious waiter.

The trip took forever, and it was not relaxing. We decided it was a mistake to travel by train, and we don't plan to do so ever again.

I have read that there are those who enjoy travel by Amtrak, but we aren't among them.

HTtY

Food on Amtrak is mediocre at best.

Other than the NE Corridor - trains are dismally slow and usually late - often by quite a few hours.

Have never stayed in a compartment - so can't comment - but the trains are nothing to write home about and by the end of the trip toilets are often not usable.

Why take days to do a trip you can fly in a few hours. Or if you want to see the country - just drive - on your own timetable and staying in pleasant hotels/eating decent food?

You've heard from two of the Amtrak naysayers. Yes, on many of the routes west from Chicago the train is often late. The nice thing about ABQ is that the Southwest Chief arrives in daylight both ways. There are vendors selling nice turquoise and other jewelry on the platform. The crew empties the toilet tanks and cleans the windows on the viewliner cars in ABQ.
I have managed to survive many thousands of miles on Amtrak in coach. I plan my trips so that I am not sleeping more than 2 consecutive nights in coach. The last time I rode out of ABQ we left on time on the first Saturday of November and arrived in Barstow 20 minutes late. We sat in Barstow for 40 minutes and left on Pacific Standard Time-right on schedule.
In May my wife and I took the Empire Builder from Spokane to Chicago followed by the LSL overnight to Cleveland where we rented a car for our east coast trip including our DD's wedding in Baltimore.
On the way back, we got off the train at Cut Bank, MT for a drive on the east side of Glacier NP.
The next day we got back on at Cut Bank about 15 minutes late. We arrived back in Spokane 25 minutes early. We were back home in Central Oregon mid-afternoon.
You do have the option of bringing a small cooler with things you like to eat (no alcohol). You can check the menus on the Amtrak website.
If you are taking a multi segment trip, you should check to see if the fare would be less using a 15, 30 or 45 day USA Rail Pass.

I have managed to survive many thousands of miles on Amtrak in coach.

Ha! We survived, too, but just barely.

HTtY

My wife and I are roomette regulars and we love riding Amtrak. Staff is terrific, superliners offer spectacular views (especially in northern New Mexico). Please check Amtrak.com for details because it's got all your answers about accommodations, connections and costs. For your 2 overnights I'd recommend a roomette for first class treatment - meals come with the room - and you'll relax in a private compartment.
I guess you can tell we highly recommend it. If you love the airline experience, and are in a hurry, fly. If you want to be behind the wheel for 2 days and 2,000 miles by all means drive. To see the country try the LSL and The Chief.
Oh, and you get an afternoon in Chicago as well. Architectural Boat tour is outstanding!
Have fun

I'm another who enjoys the AMTRAK cross-country experience. All the complaints made in the early posts can be true but are not always. On some trips, I've arrived hours late, on others, the train arrived early. The dining car food, while not up to gourmet restaurant standards, is usually good and occasionally very good. I've probably done a couple of dozen AMTRAK cross-country trips and only on one was there any major issues with multiple toilets. At times a toilet will go out of service but there is always another one close by.

I think how much you enjoy your trip is as much a reflection of your expectations as it is of the trains themselves. To me, there is a charm is enjoying the passing scenery, napping, reading, socializing, or just sitting in quiet contemplation as my mood dictates. If the train is on time, that's fine, if not, that's OK too.

"All the complaints made in the early posts can be true but are not always."

That's faint praise IMO. Sure, you might luck out, but the chances are your trip will be one of the (frequent) bad/late/dirty/uncomfortable ones.

" To me, there is a charm is enjoying the passing scenery, napping, reading, socializing, or just sitting in quiet contemplation as my mood dictates. "

Except for the passing scenery, I would rather do all of those things AT my destination, especially if that destination is NM!

We have a friend who lives in Boston but owns a house in Santa Fe, where he spends six weeks every year.

After 9/11, he became disgusted with the annoyances of airline travel and began taking the train between Massachusetts and New Mexico. He stocks up with books and goodies and enjoys the trip.

We're trying to spare you what is most likely to be an unpleasant (and expensive) experience, but it would be great if you ignore us, make the trip, and afterward tell us if you were one of the few who had a great time.

HTtY

PS Which Amtrack routes aren't staffed with slackers?

I only did Zephyr Chicago - Emeryville... yes, the food is included, and was surprisingly good, but for some reason we started to run out of desserts on day 2, and entrees on day 3. The reason was probably that the coach passengers can buy the same food in the same restaurant car. So bring lots of snacks.

You have a layover (switch trains). The freight trains use the same rails, and have the right of the way. This means, you may be too late to take that other train. Be ready with the hotel phone numbers just in case.

On our train I met a woman who joined us in Chicago, and her prior train was 10 hours late, so she couldn't use her hotel reservation as she went from train to train directly, and it was too late to get the money back as it was a bed-and-breakfast with 7 days advance cancellation.

Make sure the hotel at your final destination will hold your reservation in case your train(s) is/are late - and keep the taxi numbers handy if you arrive at night, and the station is closed.

I am not trying to scare you, just try to warn you about the worst, hoping for the best.

Bring reading or knitting or something to keep yourself occupied. If you have a roomette there is no room for luggage, all you need must be in a tote bag.

Go for it! You never know if you will like it unless you take a train at least once. You will sleep well as the shaky train will rock you to sleep, but if you suffer from motion sickness, at least take Ginger.

I've done the trip you are contemplating; I've done it on AMTRAK in sleeping cars and I've done it ina private railroad car attached to AMTRAK services.

IMO the food on AMTRAK is nothing special and more than a few coach passengers bring their own coolers, etc. That could be because they don't think the AMTRAK food is worth the money or because they are "cheap" or both.

The rolling stock on many AMTRAK routes is not in the greatest of condition, either, but it is certainly adequate.

As to AMTRAK workers being "slackers" that is a generalization which says a lot more about the person who made it than it does about the AMTRAK workers; you should see some of the passengers if you want to see "slackers."

Rail travel is a great way to see scenery in a relaxing way. My own experiences with AMTRAK have been mixed, punctuality-wise. The last trip I took up the California coast earlier this summer, the train was 9 hours late arriving in Oakland, CA, and it was not appreciated.

I would take the trip once and hopefully you'll enjoy it. If you want to travel by rail like a really civilized person, do it on some of the trains in Europe!

We took the overnight auto-train from Florida to just south of Washington DC, R/T, and we loved it. The trains were late about 2 hours each way and we had to wait for our car to be unloaded, about an hour or so but the service was great, the included in the fare, food in the lounge was average quality or better, free wine until 11pm (I believe that is only available on the auto-train). Overall all, a very nice experience.

We're thinking about doing the trip again next year. No issues.