Jimi, you might have luck at the Fodors website
Fodor's Travel Guides | Plan Your Trip Online . There are lots of folk there who post their experiences and can answer specific questions.
For train travel we found that you can frequently get pretty inexpensive tickets by purchasing through the automatic machines or ticket booths at the train stations. Certainly unless you plan on travelling heavily on an almost-daily basis, the local prices are (I think) better than the rail passes which seem to have gotten quite expensive in the last few years. (We paid as little as $40 for unlimited travel for one 24-hour period on the German system... for a family of 4!) You'll also save because when buying locally you aren't "supporting" half of the travel industry! It also leaves your options open should you decide to hop a bus (if you meet fellow travellers.. which you will... they'll have recommendations on that and you need to be flexible).
Ed