The Prairie Dog Central Railway is a heritage railway just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Regular trips are every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday from May through September, and last almost four hours with one stop in the rural community of Grosse Isle.
History[]
Initiated in 1970 by The Vintage Locomotive Society Inc., the first operations were in July, 1970. From 1970–1974, the train operated out of Charleswood on the now-abandoned Canadian National Cabot Subdivision. From 1975 to 1996 the train operated out of St. James, immediately west of Polo Park on a now abandoned Canadian National Railways line.
In 1999 the station, now a Federal Heritage Site, was moved to its present location at Inkster Junction in Rosser. The Vintage Locomotive Society Inc. purchased the former Oak Point Subdivision from Canadian National Railways in 1999.
The subdivision is connected to Canadian Pacific Railway’s east-west main line and the portion of the former subdivision used by the Prairie Dog Central extends to about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Warren.
Locomotive Roster[]
| Number | Images | Heritage | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 
|
Canadian Pacific Railway | 4-4-0 | Dubs & Co. | 1882 | Operational | It is the oldest operating steam locomotive in Canada. |
| 864 | 
|
Manitoba Hydro | GE 35-tonner | General Electric | |||
| 1685 | 
|
Midland Railway Company | EMD GP9 | General Motors | 1957 | Operational | Painted in BNSF colors, and it was the last GP-9 owned by BNSF. |
| 1286 | 
|
Canadian Pacific Railway | 4-6-2 | Canadian Locomotive Company | 1948 | Stored | |
| 1238 | 
|
Canadian Pacific Railway | 4-6-2 | Canadian Locomotive Company | 1946 | Stored | |
| 4138 | 
|
Grand Trunk Western Railroad | EMD GP9 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1958 | Operational | |
| 8454 | 
|
Canadian National | MLW S-3 | Montreal Locomotive Works | 1952 |
Trivia[]
- The remainder of the original line has now been abandoned.
- Originally constructed between 1905 and 1910 by Mackenzie & Mann for the Canadian Northern Railway, it became part of the cross-Canada Canadian National Railways system in 1923.
- The 2011 schedule lists three locomotives in use.