BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
What would be cool would be to do basic coach but only travel during the day and stay in a hotel and explore a layover city at night. Not sure if Amtrack has a schedule where you can avoid night trips.
They do, but stuff delays some times.
The Rocky Mountaineer does that, but it's all super high end and pricey.
VIA Rail (Canada) runs a train from Prince Rupert to Jasper that stops overnight in Prince George. If you do that off season (but when there is some daylight still) it's a nice ride. Prince Rupert and Jasper are good towns to explore. I'd stick with a taxi between the train station and hotel in Prince George... even if it's only a few blocks.