Prairie Dog Central Railway — Attraction in Rural Municipality of Rosser

Family went on fathers day and it was a great experience- you ll need to buy tickets in advance as they seem to sell out quick. Departure station out of Winnipeg was easy to get to as its located right off Center Port. Station itself has ample parking as well as handicap stalls. Theres a small gift shop on site that is open before and after the round trip. Gift shop takes credit cards/debit/cash. Bring a camera as theres some good photo opportunities with the train. Theres two engines they may use, the steam or the diesel. We had the steam engine that day - if you re wondering which engine they plan on using check the website or brochure in advance. When buying your tickets make sure to do some research because some seats face eachother and may be uncomfortably close to strangers if you choose poorly. Once on board the train departs for the small town of Grosse Isle Manitoba. It is about an hour journey there- the train moves relatively slow but thats part of the experience. You re able to bring snacks, food, and drinks on board if youd like. They stamp your ticket on the train shortly after departure so make sure to have them handy. The cart we were in was made in 1909 so as you could imagine there is no air conditioning on board so dress accordingly. That being said the windows fully open which allows a good breeze. On the ride there was a musician that played child friendly songs. Upon arrival at Grosse Isle Station you are met by a decent amount of local artisans and vendors. Theres food, drinks, ice cream, and locally made gifts available for purchase. Bring cash as the Grosse Isle vendors do not except cards and there is no local atm. There is a shaded structured picnic area to eat and rest as well as a playground and other kid friendly activities. You ll spend about about 90 minutes in Grosse Isle and then depart back to Winnipeg. The trip again takes about 60 minutes - we found most kids on the train fell asleep on the return journey. Once back at the station they had the model train club open their doors if you were interested. Overall great experience- there are several different themed events they run throughout the year....

Ive been on the PDC twice so far ,once in July and again in late October for their Halloween excursion.The July trip used the steam loco and the October trip used the EMD GP9 diesel electric ,both beautiful locomotives.I had relatives from Toronto on both trips and they thought it was absolutely wonderful ,so much so, they want to come back in July for my birthday and ride the rails again.As I railroad enthusiast and modeler ,I had a great time (first ever time on a train) ,so Im going back for sure.I think I enjoyed the summer event better ,you can open the windows and enjoy the scenery better (the sites and smells of the fields and smoke from the loco are great)The late October event is pretty much in the dark ,so not much to see, except for the stop and lunch in Grosse isle ,but still a super nice trip,Oh,we all dressed up as ZOMBIES ...it was awesome.

BTW- my sister posted pictures of us just below from two months ago.I`m the freak with the engineer hat.My niece did all our makeup, pretty...

This is a total gem in Winnipeg!

I brought my women’s group of 14 of us on a midweek excursion and we had a blast!

We went on the diesel train, which is totally authentic looking. They had a fellow singing and playing for the trip up and back.

When we arrived to Gross Isle, there were two lineups to grab your food. The lineups are long and take about 15 to 20 minutes, but in the end, you have enough time to mosey around the display buildings, etc..

The lunch is made by volunteers and was very good! Homemade sandwiches, chips, Caesar salad, drink, and a delicious ice cream bar. I thought it was very well done.

And then you have about half an hour to 45 minutes to wander around and see everything, which is plenty of time.

I recommend this to everybody and anybody. And they have some pretty interesting themed train rides in the summer from...