I had to do it a couple of times (only crossing half of the country though, not the whole thing). My dad is terrified of flying. So for some of our family vacations we took Amtrak.
I personally wouldn't do it for as long as you are mentioning. Amtrak isn't bad for a day or two. But 70 hours would be just too long for me. Are you taking it back for 70 hours as well?
#1 Check for the availablity of the scenery car. It has full glass on both sides of the car, 360° swivel chairs, and TVs playing movies. That is by far the best part of the train ride (especially through the rocky mountains). But the scenery car is hit/miss. Some portions of the travel will have it, and others won't. Some routes have it and others don't.
#2 Bring along cards or some other game that you can play with others in the lounge (nothing with little pieces as they'd vibrate off the tables). You can have a lot of fun and pass the time this way.
#3 Bring a lot of cash as you'll likely visit the snack/drink bar quite a bit.
#4 The food is pretty good and is included. But the wine is extra if I recall correctly (I was a teen at the time so I didn't actually order the wine). One more reason to bring lots of cash.
#5 The seats aren't horrible to sleep in (if you are the person who can sleep in a chair). But it'll never be pitch black. If you need dark, bring some sort of mask. I never noticed it being cold as mentioned in this thread. But to me, the colder the better so maybe I'm biased.
#6 The sleeper cars are nothing to brag about (very small beds that rock a lot as the train moves). But for 70 hours you might want to consider it.
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