Tips:
- Print out your train ticket…read more
- There's a washroom in the train station by the ticketing area. There are more washrooms behind the train station, closer to the parking area.
- The train museum is worth dropping by, especially to see Thomas the train.
I recently did a train experience from Prairie Dog Central Railway. It provides train excursions between Inkster Junction Station, which is in Rosser, just north of Winnipeg, and Grosse Isle, an hour north of Rosser.
The train ride to and from both places is on a heritage train. Each excursion takes a few hours, and only occurs on Saturdays and Sundays, with the occasional holiday Monday trip here and there.
I booked a ticket online for a Saturday in early July. I was able to select the train car and seat that I wanted. The departure time was 11 am. However, it recommends that you get there thirty minutes early to park and check in.
The online ticket had a QR code. It also recommended that you print your ticket out. I thought that I'd be fine with the QR code. I later found out that it wasn't.
Getting to this station was straightforward. The backroads to get to this station are dirt roads. Expect your vehicle to look dusty and dirty, depending on whether rain has fallen hours earlier.
A friendly male staffer gave me a tip on where to park. He was helpful. I backed into a spot and headed over to the station.
There are washrooms behind the station. I used the sole washroom in the station next to ticketing. It was clean. I used it after the excursion, too.
There's a gift shop. I used it to get a cold drink after I returned to Rosser. It hit the spot. It accepts cash, and credit and debit cards. You can also get souvenirs, from toy trains, to t-shirts.
You board the train roughly fifteen minutes before the departure time. I found the car number that I needed to board. I presented my ticket's QR code on my phone to the woman helping with boarding. She said to go to ticketing and get a physical ticket.
Nowhere on my online ticket did it say that you must have a physical ticket. It recommended to print it out, but it didn't indicate that a conductor comes around to each passenger to punch your physical ticket. It was a bit archaic, but more clarity beforehand would have been better.
The lineup at ticketing took a while. I wasn't the only one who needed a paper one. I eventually got one. During the trip up to Grosse Isle, the conductor punched it. Maybe it was for the full old-school experience.
I headed back to board the train. The woman placed a square box to make boarding easier. It would be a challenge to board this train if you require a walker or wheelchair.
It's an old train, which has cons:
- If you're tall, there isn't a whole lot of leg room when you are seated.
- You will die if it's a scorching-hot day. There is no air conditioning. You open the windows with the two clamps on either side of each window.
- There are washrooms on the train, but they are only for emergencies.
The train ride isn't fast. It takes an hour between Rosser and Grosse Isle. I got to see a lot of canola and cars stopped as we crossed. It was fun waving to folks who didn't seem annoyed.
The windows being open helped keep everyone cool. There was entertainment on the train. A man played his guitar and sang. We also got some facts about where we were going from another man.
The train museum at Inkster wasn't open when I got there. It was when we returned to this station. I loved it.
The WinNtrak Model Railway Group runs the train museum. It was cool seeing model trains in action. I got to see a train setup in Dauphin, with the grain elevator and everything.
The most popular train was Thomas. It was a treat seeing Thomas the train travel around a prairie farm setting. I also enjoyed chatting with a few folks from the railway group who were so friendly and knowledgeable.
I'm glad that I gave this train excursion a try. There's some room for improvement as far as ticketing goes. I would return to check out the museum again. I liked it more than the train ride to and from Grosse Isle!
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