It’s ‘all aboard’ for a weekend of railway revelry as the Don River Railway prepares to celebrate its golden anniversary with a three-day event early next year.
The railway, located in the state’s north-west, is hoping to attract more than 5,000 visitors to the event from February 14th to 16th.
Event Manager Matt Goss says the railway has been planning the festivities to mark 50 years of operation for several years, with initial plans disrupted by a building fire last year.
“Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, we have used the extra time to build on the already grand plans to make it even better,” Goss said.
“The event promises to be one of the railways largest in history and will feature the biggest collaboration of visiting railway locomotives in Tasmanian History.”
Steam locomotives ABT 3 from the West Coast Wilderness Railway and C22 from the Tasmanian Transport Museum will join Don River’s own locomotives to haul passenger trains.
Wee Georgie Wood from the Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway and the Krauss locomotive from Sheffield Steam and Heritage Centre will create a live steam narrow gauge working display in the yard.
TASRail will showcase two members of its own locomotive fleet at Coles Beach on Saturday and Sunday, which will be open for public viewing.
The event will also feature working traction engines with a pre-event road run, a model railway train show, royal carriage display, miniature steam displays and other vintage vehicle displays.
Don River Railway will operate trains at least twice an hour throughout the weekend, featuring a diverse collection of all its available rolling stock.
“We hope to see both rail and heritage enthusiasts from afar make the journey here for this grand event as well as anyone who has visited or helped the railway out over the years,” General Manager Eamonn Seddon said.
“The event will be about having a little fun and celebrating all that has been achieved in heritage railways over the last fifty years.”
