Don River Railway

Don River Railway Preserving Tasmanian Railway History since 1973. Trains operate Thursday to Sunday. Visit www.donriverrailway.com.au
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Come along to our site at Don Village on Forth Road, Devonport and see the display of steam and diesel engines and other rolling stock that has played an important part in Tasmania's rail history. Look through our museum of historical railway artifacts and photos. Enjoy a half hour ride on a genuine vintage train along the old Melrose line to Coles Beach and back. Whilst you're there, take some time to inspect our extensive workshop and site display.

01/05/2026

Hi everyone, a quick update regarding tomorrow (Saturday, 2 May). Due to volunteer crew shortages, our trains won't be running.

The good news is our station and museum will still be OPEN as usual for you to visit and explore!

Weโ€™ll be back to our regular operations, with trains running again on Sunday.

If you have pre-booked a train ticket for Saturday, our team will be in contact soon to arrange a reschedule or refund. Apologies for any inconvenience to your weekend plans, and thank you for your understanding!

WE ARE HIRING: Assets and Workshop Coordinator ๐Ÿš‚Don River Railway is entering a massive phase of growth! Backed by our u...
14/04/2026

WE ARE HIRING: Assets and Workshop Coordinator ๐Ÿš‚
Don River Railway is entering a massive phase of growth! Backed by our upcoming $13M precinct expansion, we are looking for an experienced leader to help transition our operations and set us up for the future.

๐Ÿ’ผ The Role: Paid, part-time leadership position (0.6 to 0.8 FTE).
๐Ÿ“ Location: Don, Devonport.
๐Ÿ’ฐ The Package: $48k - $80k actual take-home ($80k - $100k FTE pro-rata).

This is a strategic management and administrative role focused on process design, budget control, and coordinating our incredible volunteer team; not a manual mechanical position.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Read the full Position Description and apply via SEEK here: https://www.seek.com.au/job/91477584

(Please feel free to tag anyone below or share this post with someone who would be a great fit!)

BEYOND CITY PARK: "HUTCH" ARRIVEBEYOND CITY PARK: "HUTCH" ARRIVES AT DON! ๐Ÿ—๏ธ๐Ÿš‚Today marks a massive milestone for the Don...
07/04/2026

BEYOND CITY PARK: "HUTCH" ARRIVEBEYOND CITY PARK: "HUTCH" ARRIVES AT DON! ๐Ÿ—๏ธ๐Ÿš‚

Today marks a massive milestone for the Don River Railway. After 36 years as a familiar face in Launcestonโ€™s City Park, locomotive U3 has been successfully lifted and relocated to its new home here in Don!

A MAMMOTH TEAM EFFORT
A job this size takes a village. A huge thank you to our lead volunteers, Andrew Skinner (DRR Board Councillor) and John Myers, who spent countless hours on prep and logistics. We are also incredibly grateful to every volunteer who helped on-site, and to Clynton Brown for his generous donation of his water pump containing the remains of sister locomotive U4, whose engine will be used in the long term restoration of U3.

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
We couldn't have done it without these fantastic partners:
City of Launceston Official for donating this icon of Tasmanian rail history.
Cranes Combined for the precision heavy lifting.
Gradco for handling the expert transport and logistics.
LIGHTNING BIN HIRE: For the essential site support.

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS! ๐Ÿ“ธ
Whether itโ€™s a shot of U3 working the yards in the 80s or a family photo of your kids playing on "Hutch" in the park, please share them in the comments!

๐Ÿ‘‡ CHECK THE PINNED COMMENT FOR THE STORY BEHIND "HUTCH" AND THE FULL HISTORY OF U3!

Tucked in safe and sound.     ๐Ÿ“ธ Kyle David Stennings
07/04/2026

Tucked in safe and sound.


๐Ÿ“ธ Kyle David Stennings

Exciting times!!!        ๐Ÿ“ธ Josh Cassidy
06/04/2026

Exciting times!!!



๐Ÿ“ธ Josh Cassidy

Hop on board this Easter Long Weekend! ๐Ÿš‚Looking for a great day out with the family? The Don River Railway is open right...
27/03/2026

Hop on board this Easter Long Weekend! ๐Ÿš‚

Looking for a great day out with the family? The Don River Railway is open right across the long weekend, running services every day from Thursday through to Easter Monday.

Here is our schedule for the weekend:
โ€ข Thursday 2 April to Easter Saturday: Enjoy a ride on our vintage Railcar.
โ€ข Easter Sunday & Easter Monday: Experience our trains hauled by the historic Y6 diesel electric locomotive.

We are open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm each day.
Train departure times: 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, and 2:00 pm.

Pack a picnic, explore the precinct, and enjoy a ride along the river. We look forward to seeing you at the station!

๐Ÿ“ท Beautiful shot of the platform courtesy of Kelli Mason.

Don River Railway will be closed today and tomorrow (Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 March).Our rostered volunteer is unfort...
23/03/2026

Don River Railway will be closed today and tomorrow (Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 March).

Our rostered volunteer is unfortunately unwell. As a volunteer-run organisation, we occasionally have to make these tough calls to ensure our team has the time they need to rest and recover.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause to your plans and appreciate your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!

๐Ÿš‚ TAKE A SEAT BACK IN HISTORY THIS LONG WEEKEND!There is nothing quite like the view from our heritage carriages. If you...
06/03/2026

๐Ÿš‚ TAKE A SEAT BACK IN HISTORY THIS LONG WEEKEND!

There is nothing quite like the view from our heritage carriages. If you're looking for the perfect way to spend your 8 Hours Day long weekend, come and join us at the Don!

We have adjusted our schedule for the break, so please check our running days below:

๐Ÿ—“ Saturday 7/3: Open & Running
โŒ Sunday 8/3: Closed
๐Ÿ—“ Monday 9/3 (8 Hours Day): Open & Running

We'd love to see these seats filled with happy travellers! Book your tickets online or at the station.



๐Ÿ“ธ On Patrol https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/104192989451823817267

04/02/2026

๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฉ: ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฌ๐Ÿฒ ๐Ÿš‚๐Ÿ”ง

Itโ€™s not every day you get to seeโ€”and hearโ€”an English Electric 6SRKT running with the engine room doors open. Here is a look inside the noisy, hot, and impressive world of Y6โ€™s power unit.

This is a view passengers rarely get to see.

For the technically minded, here are the vital statistics of the power unit that defines the TGR Y Class:

โš™๏ธ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ: English Electric 6SRKT Mk II
โš™๏ธ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Inline 6-Cylinder, 4-Stroke
โš™๏ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Turbocharged
โš™๏ธ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ & ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ฒ: 10" x 12"
โš™๏ธ ๐—ข๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜: 800hp at 850rpm
โš™๏ธ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป: 4 Valves per Cylinder

These videos take you inside the hood to see the engineering that keeps this 1960s veteran moving. From the rhythmic clatter of the valve gear to the whine of the Napier turbocharger, this is diesel heritage in motion.

A huge credit to our workshop volunteers who keep these complex machines operational.

Turn your volume up! ๐Ÿ”Š

Spend Australia Day with us at Don River Railway! ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บโ˜€๏ธโ€‹The weather forecast is looking absolutely fabulous for tomorrow;...
25/01/2026

Spend Australia Day with us at Don River Railway! ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บโ˜€๏ธ

โ€‹The weather forecast is looking absolutely fabulous for tomorrow; 26 degrees and sunny. Itโ€™s the perfect day to head to the coast and enjoy the sunshine.

โ€‹Our Tasmanian-built Y6 will be on the tracks hauling passenger services throughout the public holiday.

โ€‹Service Times:
Trains depart the station hourly from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm (inclusive).

โ€‹Come down, soak up the sun, and enjoy a ride along the river. See you there!

โ€‹

Address

Forth Road
Devonport, TAS
7310

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 1pm
Tuesday 9am - 1pm
Wednesday 9am - 1pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

03 64246335

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