Of 8 train trips I took, 6 were significantly late. Lowlights of travelling with Amtrak include the terrible food, the occasionally strange conductors, and St Louis station (if you can call the muddy ground beside the tracks a station). Highlights include the fact that their employees don't check dates on rail passes, so I was still travelling on mine almost a full week after it expired.
Removing Amtrak from the equation, going by train is actually a decent way to get around. Granted, it takes a really long time to get from place to place (I left New York at 4pm on Tuesday afternoon, and didn't arrive in Vancouver until 4pm Friday afternoon, and spent all but 4 hours of that time either on a train or in a bus where the train from Seattle to Vancouver wasn't running). I'll also concede that there isn't always a lot to see out the window (the endless states of North Dakota and Montana come to mind).
But you see a lot more than you ever would by air. The long trips are conducive to (mostly) interesting conversation, bringing people closer merely because we are all confined to the same space for a significant amount of time.
There are no seat belt signs confining you to your seat, and lounge cars tend to be a reasonably social place, should you choose to engage.
Its also an economical way of travelling, particularly with the savings on accommodation. Thankfully, there is sufficient room on the long haul trips to spread out and get some decent sleep. Make sure you get the window seat.
In short, I would recommend train travel for anyone with time to spare (allow extra if travelling with Amtrak), a book to read, who enjoys looking out a window, and has a good tolerance for crazy people.
Just my kinda thing.
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