Depends on how you run it. It you treat it as word of God, and that the players have to have the exact experience with the game the designers are trying to convey you could be in for trouble. If you treat it as a massive toolbox and campaign setting with tons of resources for the DM and some of the coolest dungeons ever drawn, then it can be a great game.
I have run the original DL series of modules at least 5 times, and I agree that a lot depends on the DM.
But to be fair, not all modules are "railroads"; only a few of them, actually (two or three out of 14, I'd reckon, are the worst offenders.) And even in the "worst" ones, only some parts of the modules are really railroads, but a DM worth his name should really have no problems adjusting.
In my experience, the bad reputation comes from these single instances, but a lot of people will claim that the whole series is s**t without having really read all the material; which is a pity, because taken as a whole, it's just brilliant. All the best TSR modules have some sort of underlying story to tell; the DL series just happens to tell a very long and complex story.
Some points worth considering, in case the OP decides for the DL series (although as she seems to be a newbie, it's probably not optimal in this sense):
1) The pre-made PCs have very thin ties to the setting; they can be easily changed to the players' own PCs (as my groups did more than once.) No two groups performed the same; some of them completed the series with very different outcomes. You might find that your players completely skip some modules; and that's OK, as the material lends itself very well to a sandbox approach.
2) The modules don't necessarily follow the novels. In fact, even the final goals of the series can be adjusted, and they need NOT match the novels. A lot of NPCs which have specific roles in the novels CAN (and will most likely have) different roles in the modules (the modules themselves given plenty of suggestions and guidelines.)
3) The few railroad elements in some of the modules can be very easily reworked (I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't enter into the details.) Just keep in mind that the series describes the start and evolution of a war, and the PCs can be involved in it in many ways.
4) The modules introduce the setting during play; the DM doesn't have to have any previous knowledge, apart from the assumptions of the AD&D rules. There are only two changes: steel replaces gold as monetary unit; and halflings receive two bonus abilities (and are called kender.) Apart from this, the setting is a full-fledged AD&D setting. If you want to use the later Dragonlance Adventures hardback, I'd suggest you use it only as an overview of the setting, but ignore the rules; the series works best with the core AD&D rules (no Unearthed Arcana content is necessary.)
5) Dragonlance invented the "points of light" concept before the idea even existed. It is a somewhat gritty setting, where nations are trying to recover from an apocalyptic event; where magic-users are controlled and policed by a very powerful "guild"; where elves and dwarves are xenophobic; where people are trying to find their faith.
6) I'd suggest trying to find the original modules, not the 2e mega-modules; they did a really bad editing job (many parts missing), and the 2e dragons make most of the dragon encounters practically impossible, whereas in 1e they are supposed to be very tough, but winnable even if at a cost in lives of some members of the party. There's also a further 2e/SAGA "Anniversary" mega-module, which I would avoid as it's written essentially as a book; very hard to navigate and use the contents for gaming purposes (and again, lots of material and maps missing.)
. The OP is a new DM. Yes, the dungeons in the series are well done, the maps are exquisite, yes the setting is very good, BUT to follow your advice takes both experience and time. A new DM is going to struggle to extract the good bits from the nonsense, and is better served using a module which does not require that level of butchery.
