I've use the DB site to book tickets in the past and while it does work well, the schedules given often don't match what is on the boards in the stations. In any event, it is by far the best European source for rail tickets. The French site is difficult to navigate but the DB works like a dream. You can also book tickets to their museums.
Darn near anywhere to anywhere in Europe can be planned and purchased at http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml. Includes every little podunk station and a bunch of non-rail connections like the Irish Sea ferries. Try it! (and be jealous we don't have anything nearly this good) Not only is it comprehensive, it's pretty fast, too. Lots of details about connections and it'll even draw the route on a map.
What we really need here are combined air/rail/bus trip planners that would allow you to choose endpoints, like Hicksville NY and LaGrange IL and then get all the options to choose from.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
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