The Journal Box

The Journal Box is the newsletter of the Vintage Locomotive Society, owners of the Prairie Dog Central tourist railway, and the for-profit Prairie Rail Services company.

Book Review: Prairie Dog Central – The Story

Prairie Dog Central Railway book at the station

The Prairie Dog Central Railway has been a Manitoba success story. Over the past 52 years, they have preserved and operated steam engine #3, the oldest operating coal fired steam engine in North America. This book is their story. The Prairie Dog Central Railway operates steam and diesel hauled excursion trains between Inkster Junction and … Read more

Prairie Dog Central, Movie Star, Part 2

In part 1 we followed the Prairie Dog Central’s train to downtown, where they were going to participate in the filming of The Porter, an upcoming CBC mini-series about Black railway porters. Picking up the story, they had just rolled past the station and had to back in from the north/east end. The head end … Read more

Prairie Dog Central, Movie Star, Part 1

The Prairie Dog Central Railway is a real gem, a great asset for the city of Winnipeg and surrounding areas. They entertain thousands of people every year on their trips between Inkster Junction and Grosse Isle, and occasionally they wander further (on GWWD tracks to Hadashville, for instance). In early June 2021, they roamed off their own rails and onto those of three of Winnipeg’s other railways.