The article and some of the posts here make it sound like the observation cars are closed to anyone except sleeper/first class. Would be curious to know if that

The article and some of the posts here make it sound like the observation cars are closed to anyone except sleeper/first class. Would be curious to know if that is true. Cause yeah booking coach and then hanging out in the observation car all day sounds like the best play unless you're really looking to splurge on a special experience. Also driving and rail aren't really comparable. To each their own, but driving is very stressful to me, even along desolate stretches of Nebraska or Wyoming or whatever where there's no traffic. It's easy to get drowsy on a long haul. And it only takes one moron or sudden severe weather event to ruin your day/life. But, you're right, you do get the tradeoff of complete freedom. It's just a different thing. One is a chance to fully relax and unplug and just be carried along, one is an opportunity to explore.