The Prairie Dog Central Railway is a short line railway owned and managed by The Vintage Locomotive Society Inc. and is one of the oldest regularly scheduled vintage operating trains in North America.

It began operations in regular public service on July 11, 1970.  From 1970 – 1974, the train operated out of Charleswood along Wilkes Boulevard on the former Canadian National Cabot Subdivision.  From 1975 to 1996 the train then operated out of St. James and the old St James Station, immediately west of Polo Park on the Canadian National Oak Point Subdivision.

In 1996 the Society was advised by CN that the Oak Point Subdivision was to be sold, and that the Transcona shops (where the train was stored and maintained) could no longer support the Prairie Dog Central Railway operations.  Consequently, soon after 1996 the Prairie Dog Central Railway ceased its train operations for two seasons while the Society embarked on a major fundraising campaign to raise $1.3 million dollars.

The Vintage Locomotive Society Incorporated is a non-profit organization whose primary objective is to maintain and operate the Prairie Dog Central Railway vintage steam train.  It takes many volunteer members both on the train and at the station to run the Prairie Dog Central Railway every operating day.