Unfortunately, its the western Amtrak routes (CHI to the west coast) that generally feature the best scenery and whatnot.

Here in the east, the typical train journey takes you past scenic industrial plants and warehouses. A few exceptions exist--for instance, the Lake Shore Limited from CHI to NYP is quite scenic in places, particularly as it travels along the Hudson river. The Three Rivers (nee The Broadway Limited--also CHI-NYP) features a trip through horseshoe curve in Pennsylvania, which is relatively famous, at least among railroading types.

Also, the train equipment used in the east is different from west coast service--the west coast gets the two-level superliners, while the east coast, due to clearance limitations, is restricted to single level equipment (except the Capitol Limited, CHI-WAS). The sleepers in the east are the new Viewliners, which are allegedly very nice (I haven't had a chance to get on one yet), although from my own experiences, I find the service on the west coast runs to be just slightly above what you'll find in the east coast.