My wife and I are planning our trip to Canada in June, first timers. We will be doing a lot of hiking in the Rockies, but we also want to take a train trip from or to Vancouver.
Any suggestions on which is more scenic, taking into account the difference in daylight hours, Vancouver to Edmonton, or reverse?
We are both keen photographers.
Thank you.

Where are you coming from? Why do you want to visit Edmonton? My favorite stop on the Canadian is Jasper. There are several car rental agencies within walking distance of the Jasper train station.
I see that there is a new HI Hostel closer to town than the old one I stayed at a couple times. Also in the Jasper train station is a counter for the Brewster tour bus company which has trips going south to Banff.

Thanks Tom, we are hiring an RV, pick up and drop off at Calgary. We will visit Jasper in our RV travels. Edmonton is just a point of entry for the train trip. We can drop off the RV and coach to Edmonton all in the same day.
We're quite liking the idea of meeting up with the train at midnight actually.

Are you flying to Calgary to pick up the RV? What type of coach are you referring to for transport between Edmonton and Calgary? The schedule of the Canadian has changed a lot since I last rode it.
Getting on the train in Edmonton at midnight to go to Vancouver seems a bit strange to me. Since the train is coming from Toronto it may arrive long after midnight. The latest train I was ever on was the Canadian which arrived in Winnipeg 16 hours late. I slept on the floor of the Winnipeg station along with a lot of other people. That train terminated in Jasper and the passengers going west got on buses to complete their journey.
My choice would be to get on the train in Vancouver at 3PM PT (1500) and be in Jasper at 1100MT the next morning. Take a Brewster coach south from Jasper to Calgary to pick up your RV. The Brewster counter is in the east half of the Jasper train station or at least it was when I was last there.

Thanks Tom. Yes, our intention was to fly into Calgary from Los Angeles for RV pick up.
What you say makes sense, I've read how common delays are, and I expect that at least the departure time from Vancouver would be fixed. Our original plan was to fly onto Vancouver and take the train from there, and so I think we will revert to that plan.
Also, your suggestion to coach from Jasper to Calgary is a much better option.
Back to planning .
Thanks for the help.

The other way to get to Vancouver is to take the Coast Starlight from LA Union Station to Seattle. There are 2 trains and 3 buses that go from Seattle King Street station to the Vancouver station daily.

Thanks Tom, we have booked our flight to Vancouver and our Via Rail journey to Jasper.
We have now decided to hire a car in Jasper and have booked four nights accommodation there. We are in no hurry to get to Calgary really, so we'll stop off also near Lake Louise.
I'll begin a new post for any questions on the rest of the trip, as you helpfully covered the question posed in this post.
Thank you.