If you know me, then you already know that I’m a big fan of train travel and that especially applies to scenic train rides that not everyone knows about.

The golden age of rail travel may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still exceptional experiences out there.

Jessica Naziri explores five train journeys that highlight America’s scenic beauty while letting passengers sit back and enjoy the ride.

1. A Grand West Coast Adventure

With Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Vice President “Amtrak Joe” Biden at his side, President Obama has begun a major push to reinvigorate America’s long-ailing train system.

Accordingly, Amtrak will receive $8 billion in funding from the stimulus package over the next two years to build what Obama has called “a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century.”

But travelers who have experienced the high-speed trains of Europe or Asia may be a bit disappointed by the proposal, which doesn’t envision speeds approaching those offered by the French TGV or the Japanese Shinkansen.

I always say that it’s about the journey and not the destination, and that’s especially true when it comes to train travel. You may not get there on time, but that’s not the idea.

Dear Peter,
I have always taken the train from Beijing to Shanghai; I have done it probably a dozen times as I await the TGV-style train that will eventually unite China’s two most famous in a five-hour journey.

There are some rather-fast trains that make this run now (about eight to nine hours), but I didn’t know there were so many different kinds of trains and so that’s my warning to you now.

The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plain but the train in China is in China and therefore not subject to generalizations. Be careful when you book.

Dear Peter,

While you look at the postmark from this postcard you must be thinking Hang Zhou is easy to say and easy to identify—a very famous getaway city in Southern China, home of the Song Dynasty and the epicenter of the ancient silk industry.

The only problem is that Chinese is a language of intonations and so it’s pretty dicey to even tell someone where you are bound for the weekend. Most people thought I was saying Hong Qiao, which is the Shanghai domestic airport.

Vice President Joe Biden, one of Amtrak’s most prominent customers, was the obvious choice to make the announcement last Friday that the struggling national rail network will receive $1.3 billion in federal funds over the next two years.

The money, which is part of President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress last week, will be used to renovate trains and stations, improve safety, and increase passenger capacity.

It’s been four years in the making, but the new luxury express train from New York City to Atlantic City finally opened for business last weekend and hotels and casinos are hoping that it will rev up business in the recession-starved town.

The train, dubbed the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES), was a $20 million joint venture between Borgata, Harrah’s and Caesars and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

It made its inaugural trip from Penn Station on Friday with a healthy handful of passengers onboard, including New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.