USA luxury rail experiences: 1) Rocky Mountaineer (Calgary to Vancouver via Banff) — glass-dome cars, $1,500-5,000; 2) California Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco) — 51-hour cross-country, Amtrak sleeper roomettes; 3) Coast Starlight (LA to Seattle) — 35 hours along Pacific coast; 4) Empire Builder (Chicago to Seattle/Portland) — Glacier National Park route; 5) Texas Eagle (Chicago to LA) — South-by-South route; 6) Skunk Train (CA) — Redwood forest day trip; 7) Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (NM/CO) — narrow-gauge steam, mountain pass; 8) Strasburg Railroad (PA Lancaster) — steam through Amish country; 9) White Pass & Yukon (Skagway AK) — gold rush railway. Tip: Amtrak Vacations packages add hotels. Bedrooms ($600-1,500/night) more comfortable than coach but expensive.