Ida Bay Train

27/08/2026

Members and friends.

We have at last received advice from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) that Ida Bay Railway’s application for rail-safety accreditation has been approved.

Our thanks go to the team that compiled, wrote, researched, reviewed, edited, re-read, revised, reformatted, responded to ONRSR queries, re-wrote, re-versioned, resubmitted, and remained resolutely responsive to the regulator’s requests. (All 550+ pages)

Stage 1 accreditation covers the restoration of that section of the railway around the Workshop and down to the Lune River Road crossing. We will implement the approved management system, gear up to restore this section of track, and recommission a working set of rolling stock to support training and track reconstruction. In restoring this section, we will prove our capacity to continue restoring the Railway. We will also be working on assessing the track and extending the ONRSR accreditation in stages towards Deep Hole, as well as seeking a renewed, longer-term licence to continue the restoration effort.

From the get-go, this does not mean that we can operate the locos and rolling stock on any track as yet.

The accreditation team learned that there has been considerable change to the systems for safe operation and management of heritage railways. As IBR had to build the system to be accredited - from scratch – the way we do things has changed significantly.

This has resulted in a “new way for Ida Bay” railway. We need to first fill essential roles and responsibilities, undergo essential training, achieve the required skills and competencies, undergo health checks for some jobs, prepare equipment and materials, assess job safety requirements, do the job, get certification where required, then move forward to another task.

We all need to keep an eye out for each other during this process and help where you can. Avoiding or working round some necessary steps is not an option - as it jeopardises our accreditation and continued efforts at IBR – as well as possibly compromising someone’s safety. We also need to quietly celebrate our achievements as they occur.

We thank you for your patience, attendance, and continuing your support for the Railway whilst accreditation was being sought. Your words, efforts, generosity, and persistence are much appreciated. We ask for that same patience and persistence as we implement the “new way” and get things going.

If you have any queries, please ask any members of the management committee. All suggestions for improvements and any support required can be discussed with the management committee - and will be much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Annual Meeting on 12th September.

Your IBRPS Management Committee. 27 August 2026

19/07/2026

Ida Bay Railway Preservation Society
Newsletter – July 2026

Members and visitors…
A short note from Society President Dave Collins to keep people up to date with activity at Ida Bay Railway.

“TRANSFORMER” Project …
The DarkLabs subsidiary of MONA has recently advised that the proposed artwork attraction and supporting facilities will not proceed as planned. The arts project and associated café were to be constructed in the Ida Bay State Reserve adjacent to the Railway.
The “Transformer” project - as finally proposed - was not intended to conflict with restoration and operation of the historic railway.
Hence our mission is not impacted by DarkLab’s recent decision, and we will push on with the restoration of the much-loved Ida Bay Railway,
We remain ‘on track’ to bring the railway back to life, contribute to the local economy, and establish a unique regional visitor experience.

RAIL SAFETY ACCREDITATION…
IBRPS has addressed all the concerns of our rail-safety regulator representative and amended our Safety Management System (SMS) accordingly.
We now await the rail-safety regulator’s final signoff. On the recommendation of the regulator, we have already upgraded our public liability insurance from static museum to “operational railway” status.
In the meantime, we continue to prepare for this accreditation that will enable us to commence restoration of the track and rolling stock.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS) - IMPLEMENTATION…
The SMS for Ida Bay Railway is the soon-to-be-approved organisation of the restoration, maintenance, and management of the Ida Bay Railway. The outcomes of putting the system into effect will be the ongoing safe restoration and operation of the Railway well into the future.
To achieve this will require us all to pick up the “new way” of doing things at Ida Bay - and help our fellow members to do the same.The SMS operates in conjunction with the Workplace Health and Safety plan that is already in place at Ida Bay Railway. We need to keep improving our approach to work on site so that achieving a safer worksite is a way of life - rather than a challenge or obstacle to getting things done.
Essential roles will need to be filled, skills assessed, training undertaken, and revised work methods put into place. This “new way for Ida Bay” will be subject to constant review, contribution, and improvement. This is also up to us all.
We are going to start the SMS implementation at the next Working Bee – with an explanation of the Safety Management System and a briefing in one of the essential elements that involves every Member.
Thereafter, we will continue with a briefing about another SMS element at every working bee. This way members can understand or develop the necessary skills (and achieve all the competencies that are required of us) to enjoy safer participation, as well as capably restore and manage the Railway.

WORKING BEE …
Our next gathering at Ida Bay Railway is Sunday, July 26th.
As well as the start of our SMS implementation there are several projects
underway, these include:
• Grounds maintenance
• Rolling Stock assessment,
• Install a Bench Drill,
• Moving useful recovered items into the workshop storage area,
• Training, etc.
Of course, this all depends on the weather and numbers that turn up. Usually, coffee at 10:00 for a 10:30 start. (This allows for a site in(tro)duction for any new visitors.)
Heads up! - If you get there early - the locomotive in the workshop is being
assessed – please keep clear of the worksite and clear of any lifting equipment
and items ready to be lifted.
For those interested, there will also be a briefing session on the roles and
positions we need to fill.
All are welcome – especially new members. We would like to see you there!
ROLES / POSITIONS VACANT…
As we implement the SMS, we need to fill essential railway coordination roles -
as well as any vacant Management Committee roles.
The coordinator roles are: Safety Coordinator, Track Coordinator, and Rolling
Stock Coordinator.
These roles will be appointed by the Management Committee after careful
consideration of all applicants’ competencies, experience, and suitability.
Persons appointed to these roles will be announced at the 2026 AGM in
September.
The IBRPS Management Committee roles of Secretary and Public Officer are
being covered temporarily. These need to be filled as soon as practicable.
N.B. All Management Committee roles are spilled and filled annually at the IBRPS Annual General Meeting (coming up in September). Now is a good time to get familiar with the roles so that any much-appreciated commitment to help lead the Railway restoration effort can be confirmed with confidence in September.

Again, we call for expressions of interest in the necessary roles and positions.
So, if you are curious, return an e-mail to us, or call 0447 373 673. We can send
you position descriptions. Any queries?, we’ll explain everything at the Working Bee.

HEALTH CHECKS…
Identified roles and activities during the restoration and operation of Ida Bay
Railway will require essential health assessments.
These assessments are a mandatory part of National Rail Safety Law. This is a
considerable impost on volunteer efforts to restore and maintain Tourist and Heritage Railways across Australia.
These health assessment requirements are aimed at vocational occupations on mainline revenue operations where key roles maintain safety and performance expectations - such as drivers of passenger and freight trains, or workers on busy rail lines.
As such, the health assessments are workplace assessments and not covered
by Medicare or some insurance rebates. In many cases, the employers cover these costs, and the limited number of medical assessors charge accordingly.
The nearest medical assessors to Ida Bay Railway are found in Hobart.
It’s not that we object to keeping an eye on our members health or wellbeing and their capacity to undertake the various activities at the Railway (at least risk to themselves and others) - it’s the cost.
As we are a volunteer organisation with limited resources and no revenue operations as yet, the Management Committee is initially asking each member to cover the cost of any necessary health assessments for the role(s) they wish to take on.
As with the competency register, the Management Committee has prepared a
summary of the heath assessment categories required for individual roles and
an estimate of costs.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS…..
For those that have signed up for another year – thank you!
We are currently reviewing membership records and mailing lists, so if you
receive this – but do not want to continue hearing about the Ida Bay Railway
story – please be patient, or drop us a line at [email protected].

If there are any queries about items in the newsletter, or you have some photos or a story about the Railway – send us an email to [email protected] or drop a note to IBRPS c/-PO Box 28, Dover, TAS 7117.

Suggestions on what you’d like to see in newsletters are always appreciated

30/05/2026

Two committee positions to be filled.

The Society expects to move into the next phase of operation in the not too distant future; from phase one, stabilisation and conservation of the workshops precinct at Ida Bay, to phase two, implementing the new safety management system while restoring the railway and rolling stock to the specified safety accredited standard.

To help us on this exciting journey, we are looking to fill two positions on the committee, that of Secretary and Safety Coordinator.

The Secretary role is what you expect in any volunteer organisation: preparing meeting papers, managing correspondence and memberships and so on. The Safety Coordinator will be responsible for implementation and maintenance of our safety management system, which our accreditation team has been working on with the national rail regulator for the past three years.

Both these roles are currently being handled informally on an acting basis, so if you put your hand up there will be someone to help and a transition period until you get your feet fully under the table!

These are two great opportunities to get involved at Ida Bay and make a real difference to the railway’s fortunes. If interested, or you have any questions, drop a message here or email our Society’s treasurer on [email protected]

07/05/2026

Members,
Next General Meeting,
Saturday 9th May - 2:00pm
Huonville Ex Service Men & Women's Club
Shield Street
Huonville

See you there - or message if you cant make it or have any issues you would like to see raised.

Thanks!
Your management committee

PS. If any members are not receiving notices like this via email could you please let us know by email to [email protected]

07/04/2026

Hi IBRPS members. The Derwent Valley Railway has asked us if anyone would like to attend?

Hi Members

The DVR will be participating in this year's Derwent Valley Autumn Festival on Sunday 12th April on The Esplanade at New Norfolk.

Being involved in community events is an important role for the DVR. It is an excellent opportunity to raise our profile, foster community support and encourage new members to join us.

We are looking for volunteers to assist on the day with our stall -
setting up the gazebos, tables, display and merchandise 8am to 10am
taking turns to man the stall throughout the day between 10am and 3pm . This will include handing out brochures, talking with the public about the DVR and our hope to return trains to the Valley and selling merchandise.
packing up the stall then unpacking everything at the DVR from 3.30pm
Any amount of time, even just a couple of hours, to assist would be appreciated.

Please respond ASAP to advise the times you are available.

Regards
Maurice
Secretary & IT Manager

[email protected]

02/02/2026

Special notice about the next working bee at Ida Bay on Sunday Feb 22.

Please note the following message from the Dover Ambulance Volunteer Coordinator:

“We would be happy to attend and demonstrate how to restart a heart to your helpers. I have check with our volunteers and we can come for an 11 am start.

“Unfortunately, we would have to leave if we do get an emergency call out but hopefully that won't happen.

“If you wish to advertise our team coming to the local community, we are happy to show all interested.”

This is a generous offer of one on one demonstrations how to respond to a heart emergency. Although primarily intended for regular volunteers at the railway, interested locals are welcome to attend.

When: from 11am on Sunday February 22
Where: 328 Lune River Rd, community room
Who: IBRPS members, friends and locals
What else: refreshments provided and after a safety induction we can show newcomers around the yard and workshops.

18/01/2026

Another great turnout for the monthly working bee at Ida Bay. While the accreditation process continues with the national rail regulator we can’t do rail safety work, but we can make the workshops yard and grounds bushfire safe and get things ready for the day, hopefully soon, when we can start repairing the track and running works and training trains, as part of stage one of operation of the railway.

13/12/2025

A group of IBRPS members met for a Christmas lunch at Australia’s southern most pub, the Southport Tavern, today. Happy Christmas to all members and friends of the railway, and stay tuned for what will hopefully be an exciting 2026 at Ida Bay!

17/10/2025

Congratulations to TTMS getting the signoff from the rail regulator to run trains out to Berriedale!

🚂 Big news!

We’ve been given the green flag to run our passenger trains all the way from Glenorchy to Berriedale Road!

Our volunteers have been hard at work replacing hundreds of sleepers to get the track ready whilst also reviewing and submitting numerous documents to the rail regulator (ONRSR).

While we don’t have an official start date just yet for the commencement of passenger services (likely from late December, but could be during January), but from November you’ll see train movements occurring to Berriedale as we commence our crew training — so please stay clear of the rail corridor at all times.

🚦 During train operations, traffic controllers will be in place at Grove Road and Riverway Road level crossings. Please follow their directions for everyone’s safety.

This is another exciting milestone for the Museum, and we can’t wait to welcome you aboard our extended train rides soon!

Stay tuned to our page and website for updates.

02/10/2025

We continue to work through the accreditation process with the national rail regulator. As discussed at the recent AGM, to help us document what skills, qualifications and experience our members and volunteers can bring to the table, please fill out the attached form and either scan and email it to [email protected], post it to the Society at P.O. Box 278, Dover 7117 or bring it to the next working bee. Responses within the next two weeks would be much appreciated! Any questions about the form, post them here or ask via email to the same address!

Any qualification or experience that might be relevant to restoring the railway to operation should be included.

Many thanks!