# Don River Railway

The Don River Railway is a heritage railway and museum in Don, Devonport, Tasmania. It operates a service from Don to Coles Beach (operationally known as Don Junction). The current line follows a reconstructed section of the former Melrose line that ran between Don Junction and Paloona.
The Don River Railway is open seven days a week, closing only for Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Anzac Day. Train services operate from Thursday to Sunday, using either either a Tasmanian Government Railways DP class rail car, or a heritage carriage set hauled by either a steam locomotive or a vintage diesel locomotive.

## History

The heritage operations consist of the northernmost stretch of the Melrose line that ran from Don Junction (commonly called Coles Beach) to Melrose and Paloona. In the 1920s, the line was extended to Barrington, but this closed in 1928. Occasional trains ran on the closed section on Devonport Cup and Show days, but this ceased in 1935. The Melrose-Paloona section closed around this time, and following the 1948 closure of BHP's limestone facilities at Melrose, which had been the mainstay of operations on the line ever since it opened, the line was largely redundant. In October 1963, the railway was closed and later lifted.
The Van Dieman Light Rail Society was formed in December 1971. In 1973, it began pushing to restore heritage operation, which it did three years later operated, under the trading name Don River Railway.
In May 1987, it began operating main line services to Burnie. On 14 December 1991, the line was officially opened by the Governor of Tasmania, Phillip Bennett. Services originally ran into the main line Devonport station on the Western line before services were curtailed to operate between Don and Coles Beach.
On 4 April 2023, a fire destroyed a carriage shed and some carriages.

## Steam locomotives

Fowler no.5268 is Don River Rail's sole operating steam locomotive as of December 2024, seeing occasional use both on timetabled services and for functions.
Former Tasmanian Government Railways M4 is currently receiving mechanical overhall. CCS25 was reactivated in January 2023, but awaits approval to return to revenue operations.
| Builder | Builder's number and year | Class | Configuration | Original number | Final number/name | Previous owner | Condition | Additional information |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | Unknown | DS | 2-6-4T | Unknown | Unknown | Tasmanian Government Railways | Boiler only | |
| Beyer, Peacock & Company | 3392 of 1892 | A | 4-4-0 | A4 | | Launceston City Council | Dismantled | |
| Beyer Peacock | 4415 of 1902 | C | 2-6-0 | C23 | CCS23 | AN Tasrail | Cosmetic restoration only | Rebuilt 1928 by Tasmanian Government Railways |
| Beyer Peacock | 4417 of 1902 | C | 2-6-0 | C25 | CCS25 | AN Tasrail | Mechanical overhaul | Rebuilt 1926 by Tasmanian Government Railways |
| Dübs & Company | 1415 of 1880 | 4D9 | 2-4-2T | 131 | | Tasmanian Transport Commission | Dismantled | |
| Dübs & Company | 3855 of 1900 | | 2-8-0 | No.8 Heemskirk | | Emu Bay Railway | Mechanical overhaul | Returned to service October 1996 |
| John Fowler & Company | 5265 of 1886 | | 0-6-0T | | | Tasmanian Transport Commission | Operational | |
| Vulcan Foundry | 5955 of 1951 | H | 4-8-2 | H7 | | Tasmanian Government Railways | Static | |
| Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns | 7422 of 1951 | M | 4-6-2 | M2 | MA4 | Tasmanian Government Railways | Static | Modified and renumbered 1958 |
| Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns | 7423 of 1951 | M | 4-6-2 | M3 | | AN Tasrail | Static | |
| Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns | 7424 of 1951 | M | 4-6-2 | M4 | | AN Tasrail | Mechanical overhaul | |
| Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns | 7428 of 1951 | M | 4-6-2 | M1 | MA2 | Tasmanian Government Railways | Cosmetic restoration only | Modified and renumbered 1957 |

## Diesel locomotives

| Builder | Builder's number | Class | Configuration | Original number | Final number | Previous owner | Condition | Additional information |
| Ruston & Hornsby, Boultham Works | 279571 | 40DL | B | | | Cornwall Coal Company | Operational | Nicknamed 'Spit and Giggle' |
| Ruston & Hornsby, Boultham Works | 187072 | 48DL | B | | | Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company | Operational | |
| AE Goodwin | 84712 | 830 | Co-Co | 866 | | AN Tasrail | Operational | |
| Walkers | 577 | 10 | B'B' | 1002 | | Australian Transport Network | Operational | |
| Malcolm Moore | | U | B | U6 | | AN Tasrail | Operational | Rebuilt by Launceston Railway Workshops |
| Vulcan Foundry | 22288 / D61 | V | C | V2 | | AN Tasrail | Operational | |
| English Electric, Vulcan Foundry | 1799 / D91 | X | Bo-Bo | X4 | | AN Tasrail | Mechanical overhaul | |
| Tasmanian Government Railways, Launceston Railway Workshops | | Y | Bo-Bo | Y6 | | AN Tasrail | Operational | |
| Tasmanian Government Railways, Launceston Railway Workshops | | Y | Bo-Bo | Y8 | | AN Tasrail | Static | |
| English Electric, Rocklea | A.250 | Z | Co-Co | Z2 | 2111 | TasRail | Static | |
| English Electric, Rocklea | A.251 | Z | Co-Co | Z3 | 2112 | TasRail | Mechanical overhaul | |
| English Electric, Rocklea | A.259 | Za | Co-Co | ZA1 | 2114 | TasRail | Mechanical overhaul | |
| English Electric, Rocklea | A.264 | 2350 | Co-Co | 2358 | 2100 | TasRail | Static | Ex ZB9 / ZR1 / ZP1, rebuilt by Australian National Railways, Port Augusta |
| English Electric, Rocklea | A.275 | 2370 | Co-Co | 2371 | 2128 | TasRail | Mechanical overhaul | Ex ZB14 |