I emailed a travel agent who specialized in train travel a few years ago. They would have been a total ripoff. In addition, changing plans is a lot easier without a travel agent (because you don't print your tickets until you need them), and you can fiddle with the schedule to get the best price (a day earlier or later can cost several hundred dollars more or less).
Ditto to what others have said: get a system time table online or print. I like the map in the front to start thinking about things.
Amtrak.com has a nifty tool on the Routes tab, the Interactive Route Atlas.
Finally, after you have come up with your proposed route and approximate dates, post it and ask for comments. As you've seen, you'll get plenty! The date info will get you better seasonal suggestions.
Part of the fun of train travel is anticipation, and being your own travel agent can be part of that.
Ditto to what others have said: get a system time table online or print. I like the map in the front to start thinking about things.
Amtrak.com has a nifty tool on the Routes tab, the Interactive Route Atlas.
Finally, after you have come up with your proposed route and approximate dates, post it and ask for comments. As you've seen, you'll get plenty! The date info will get you better seasonal suggestions.
Part of the fun of train travel is anticipation, and being your own travel agent can be part of that.