Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hampton Inn & Suites
260 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1A9
204-942-4222
An excellent location for the visiting railfan in this prairie city, the Hampton Inn is located across from the mainline of the Canadian National and only two short blocks north of the Union Station, a major servicing point for VIA passenger trains.
Separated from the double track Canadian National transcontinental mainline by only Winnipeg's Main Street, one can sit in the comfort of a room and watch a steady procession of freights head through the city. Freights announce their approach by the throb of the diesels as they slowly work through the city on a grade-separated line at restricted speed. The north end of the Union Station platforms can also be viewed, but the thrice-weekly Canadian and Hudson Bay trains to Toronto, Vancouver and Churchill are only infrequently seen.
A relatively new facility, the Hampton Inn is convenient for a railfan laying over between VIA trains or simply visiting. Rooms, some with kitchen sink, refrigerator and microwave cost approximately $150 Canadian funds. A small laundry room is available at moderate cost and a complimentary, relatively expansive breakfast buffet is available during morning hours. Other meals can easily be obtained in the Winnipeg business district to the immediate north of the motel, while sandwich takeout is available in the station itself.
Nearby tourist attractions include the Winnipeg Railway Museum inside the Union Station, open weekends, and the Forks Museum and Historical Site adjacent Union Station, open daily.
For both the visiting railfan or rail traveler, the Winnipeg Hampton Inn ranks right up there with other trackside motels that offer unobstructed views of a busy railroad while being located in a viable commercial area that offers eateries, banking, shopping and sightseeing alternatives. When in Winnipeg, "Mecca of the Prairies", a stay at the Hampton Inn will be rewarded with non-stop railroad action, comfortably viewed from the windows of your room. During the cold winters where temperatures dip below zero degrees for weeks on end, a room in the Hampton Inn can be a comfy retreat from the bitter winds and sub-human temperatures of Manitoba.
Submitted by Tim Bruno 4.12.05
Super 8
1485 Niakwa Rd E
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 3T3
204-253-1935
The Super 8 motel backs up to CN's Symington Yard. Symington Yard is a huge hump yard with diesel and car shops.
Submitted by Ken Gosslet