Derwent Valley Railway (Tasmania) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Derwent Valley Railway |
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A railway bridge on the Derwent Valley Railway
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| Overview | |
| Status | In use |
| Owner | Government of Tasmania |
| Termini | Bridgewater Kallista |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Operator(s) | TasRail |
| History | |
| Opened | September 1, 1887 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The Derwent Valley Railway is a special old railway line in Tasmania, Australia. It's called a 'heritage railway' because it helps keep the history of trains alive. Its main home is in a town called New Norfolk. This railway uses a 'narrow gauge' track, which means the rails are 3 feet 6 inches apart, narrower than standard tracks.
Contents
History of the Derwent Valley Railway
Starting the Preservation Society
The Derwent Valley Railway Preservation Society (DVR) was created in 1990. Its main goal was to save Tasmania's railway history. They planned to do this by running a special tourist railway. The DVR bought trains and equipment from another company. This company, called the Tasmanian Locomotive Company, used to run trains on the Derwent Valley Line.
Setting Up in New Norfolk
The DVR first started running trains near the Cadbury factory in Claremont. But in 1993, they moved their main base to New Norfolk. The Derwent Valley Line itself first opened way back in 1887. However, the part of the line past New Norfolk closed in 1995.
Reopening Sections of the Line
Even though the government still owned the railway line, the DVR worked hard to reopen parts of it. They reopened sections for tourist trains.
- In 1999, trains could run again to Hayes.
- By 2000, the line was open all the way to Westerway.
- In 2003, they managed to reopen the line to National Park.
Changes and Future Plans
In 2005, a company called Pacific National was in charge of Tasmania's rail network. They decided to close the railway line west of New Norfolk. By 2006, the tracks were given back to the government. Even though trains haven't run since 2005, the DVR has stayed busy. Volunteers have been working to fix up old locomotives and carriages. This helps keep the railway's history alive.
Good news came in December 2021. The Tasmanian Government agreed to let the DVR use 500 meters of track in New Norfolk. If everything goes well with rail safety checks, heritage trains could start running again. This might happen by late 2025 or early 2026.
