mt club online

Thomas the Tank Engine will be at the Prairie Dog Central Railway on August 16, 17, 23 and 24. All of the rides are already sold out for this weekend,  but there are still a few tickets left, mostly for early morning and late afternoon for next weekend on both Saturday and Sunday. Out of a total of 44 separate excursions, there are still tickets available for twelve of them. These tickets must be ordered on-line through Ticket Web. You cannot order tickets for these excursions though the Prairie Dog central's ticket office. You can reach the site by clicking here. You may also purchase tickets over the phone by calling 1-888-222-6608.

On the site, a few of the trips listed say that some tickets for a few of the rides for this weekend may be available on site, but why take the risk of disappointing some youngsters when you can be guaranteed a ticket on-line for the following week?

For more information about A Day Out with Thomas, click here. 

   One of the best known celebrity model railroaders was the late Tom Snyder, host of Tomorrow and The Late Late Show. He had a Lionel standard gauge layout in his home and regularly discussed his love of trains quite often on the air. On the Late Late Show he once had actor Mandy Patinkin as a guest. Mandy, who has starred in The Princess Bride, Alien Nation, Chicago Hope and Criminal Minds, is also a model railroader who has a large Lionel layout in the basement of his home in Connecticut.

    So what do you think they talked about on the show? Trains, of course! Mandy did have a few other things to plug, but the discussion of their mutual love of model railroading took first priority!

    You can see the segment of that chow by clicking here. Thanks to WMRC Vice president Dave Downey for finding this!

    Could we see Rod Stewart riding on the AVR this weekend? Who knows?

   Everyone knows that Rod Stewart is not only a legendary world class rocker, but he's also a model railroader! In the model railroading community, he's almost as famous as Ron Einarson or John Longhurst!

   Tonight  Rod will be in concert along with Carlos Santana at the MTS Centre. This man commands large crowds wherever he performs in concert. When he's not performing, he lives year round in Hawaii. So why would he pick this weekend to perform in this mosquito ridden backwater?

   There can be only one answer - he must've heard about the AVR's open house this weekend! Maybe he read this blog for the information!

   We don't know for sure if he's going to be there, but the only way to find out is to go there yourself! It looks like it's going to be a wonderful weekend for riding the trains! The hours for the open house are from 11:00 to 5:00 on Saturday, and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. It costs a measly two bucks a ride, and kids under three can ride for free. A 12 ride rail pass is available for $20, which is good at any AVR event.

   The Assiniboine Valley Railway is located at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, right next to Assiniboine Park. If you see Rod there, remember that you read it first right here! But even if he isn't there, you're guaranteed a great time riding the rails!

   Please not the the AVR has a new website, which you can reach by clicking here. 

   Effective in September, the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club will have a new meeting place. The club will now be meeting at the Charleswood Legion Hall at 6003 Roblin Boulevard. The first meeting will be held on Friday, September 12, at 7:30 PM.

   The Charleswood Legion is on a main road, and it is very easy to find (it's hard to miss that big tank they have on their property). There is also plenty of parking.  The club's annual spring open house will also be held at the Legion.

   Please note that we will meet in the Tank Room, located in basement of the Legion. The door on the west side of the building provides best access because the east side parking lot tends to be more popular with the regular legion patrons on Friday nights.

    Mark your calendars, and set the date! We're looking forward to seeing you at our new location!

    A great place for rainfanning, although often overlooked, is Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park. It features a neat miniature live steam train that has just celebrated its 50th anniversary in the park. Although it's mainly for the kiddies, it's still a live steam engine, and still a wonderful sight to see when it's all fired up! Tickets are a very reasonable $2.75 each.

    While you're at the park, take a walk over to see CN's classic 6043 4-8-2 Mountain steamer. This historic engine, built in 1929, made the last scheduled run of steam power on Canadian rail on its run from The Pas to Winnipeg on April 25, 1960. The engine was placed in the park in 1983.

Ever see a dozen steam engines lashed together barreling down the track? It's an amazing sight, and you can view it right here. This clip is from the annual steam locomotive parade in Wolsztyn, Poland, operated by the Wolsztyn Experience, a mutual society for the preservation of steam railway in Poland.

Wolszyn seem to be the Mecca for all things steam! They offer not only excursions but courses on operating steam engines as well. For more information, check out their website here.

    What better way could there be to spend a summer weekend than riding on the Prairie Dog Central? You can buy a ticket at the station from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at the station, but it is advisable to order tickets online and in advance, as some of their special events sell out pretty fast!

    Please note that because of the CentrePoint highway project, it's a little trickier to get to the station than it was before. The big pile of gravel that blocked the road last year is gone, but now you have to veer off the main road to get there! For directions click on this link.

    The next best thing to riding on the train is railfanning it, but you should always do so at a proper distance. Please don't do so at the station if you're not going to buy a ticket, as parking is limited.

   But there are plenty of other places to get a good shot of the train. The track run parallel to Prairie Dog Central Road right to the Perimeter Highway. The tracks cross Sturgeon Road, Mollard Road and Paterson Road within the Perimeter. There is also a service road running parallel to the Perimeter Highway. Please don't stop on the Perimeter itself to take a picture - it's one of the busiest roads in the province!

    You can follow the train along Highway 6, but it is not advisable taking shots along the road, as that stretch of Highway 6 has been designated as one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the province. A safer and much more scenic place to stop would be to get off the highway and go  to Grosse Isle, where the train often stops, or to Warren, which is the terminus of the PDC. The tracks also cross Highway 67, Highway 321 and Highway 322.

    Always remember to stay off the tracks at all times, and keep a safe distance from the train. Happy railfanning, and keep safe!