My dad exposed me to pre-Amtrak passenger trains in a big way in May 1970 when I was 9 years old. Went from LA to Minneapolis to visit relatives and dad decided we needed to take the train. Dad thought me and my sister would be bored on the same train for 3 days, so he elected not to put us on the Santa Fe to Chicago. Instead we went LA to Salt Lake on the City of LA, then Salt Lake to Chicago on the California Zephyr (I know the WP section had been discontinued a few months before, but it was still the CZ to everyone). Then on the overnight Milwaukee Road Pioneer Limited to Minneapolis. The way home was even more interesting. The Milwaukee Morning Hiawatha to Chicago (rode the Super Dome ALL the way), then the Denver Zephyr overnight to Denver. A 1 day layover in Denver then the CZ and City of LA home. For a 9 year old who had never been on a train, the front right seat of a dome on the CZ through Colorado made a lifetime railfan out of me. I only remember good service from all of the staff and the only negative I can even think of was the City of LA being 3 or 4 hours late on the final leg home.