Thought I would follow up here with just a few thoughts about my trip.
Cardinal--while the scenery is nice through West Virginia, I won't be in a hurry to do this train any time soon and will opt to drive to Charlottesville and catch the train to DC and take the Capitol Limited, instead. Compared to the rest of the trains we rode, there is just such a difference in service and amenities that I cannot like this train even though it serves my hometown. Food was okay in that it was edible but is extremely limited and the dining crew both directions were clearly not Amtrak's stars.
Southwest Chief-- I really liked this train for both the southwest scenery and the crew. The equipment was in good order, too. Nothing outstanding here but met all expectations.
Coast Starlight--definitely my new favorite train. Love the gorgeous scenery. Love the Pacific Parlour Car and the choices and services it provides. Crew were great, food seemed fresher, especially the salads (not just iceburg lettuce). Found the wine and cheese tasting much better than on my previous trip on the Empire Builder.
California Zephyr--really didn't like this train much when I took it last year, mostly because of the crew. Crew this time was soooo much bettter and we had a great trip. We especially had a bad dining car crew last year and this year the dining car crew were the shining stars and took very good care of us. Food was very good, too. The only complaint about the Zephyr this time was that it seems like the Zephyr always gets the worst equipment out there. The Sightseer Lounge leaked badley during the rains we encountered in California and the sleepers were unrefurbished and very worn. Showers had very little finish left and were all scratched and looked dirty, even if they really weren't.
On time performance--was really great this trip. Last summer my trains were 4 hours late, 8 hours late, and 7 hours late. This trip found early arrivals for the Card westbound, the SWC westbound and Zephyr eastbound. We had a slight delay (1 hours and 20 minutes) while the southbound Coast Starlight engine was removed from the tracks after it's collision with a camper/trailer. The Card eastbound was delayed 1.5 hours right out of Chicago while they let five freight trains roll through. It never made that time up and lost just a little more time.
Stations--always enjoy the Metropolitan Lounge. Was amazed at how busy LAUS was. It is a very beautiful station, too bad it doesn't have a real lounge for sleeper passengers. I thought Emeryville might be bigger and have a sleeper lounge, too.
No other trips planned on the horizon for now, but I have accumulated enough points that once I decide I want to go somewhere, I should be able to book it.