Railway Museum In Nairobi

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For a nostalgic trip down memory lane, visit the Railway Museum in Nairobi, at the west end of the Nairobi train station. Established in 1971, the museum was created to preserve and display to the public the relics and records of the railways of East Africa. Visit the museum to have a delightful visit of the Kenya of old, dating from the times of industry brought about by colonialism, and driven by Africans and Asians. At the museum you will have the chance to see the collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock. Walk around the delightful display of miniatures: smaller exhibits and models. The Railway Museum in Nairobi remains connected to the railways, allowing for restored locomotives to access the main line for working steam excursions. The curator of the museum is Maurice Barasa, and anthropologist by letters and the son of a stationmaster on Kenya Railways, bringing useful expertise into the museum. Recently, Class EB3 2409 has been restored to operating condition by the steam team. An account of the restoration and the process of restoring these nostalgic machines out of another era is on hand.

Visit the Railway Museum in Nairobi to learn about the interesting history of the railways. You will be informed about the painstaking effort and sheer man power that was required to lay down the tracks, with all of the challenges that were encountered during construction, one of which is the fascinating tale of how production was forced to be halted due to the 'man-eaters': lions that made killing hits on the camps of the workers. The chilling account is retold of how two man-eating lions attacked and killed scores of railway workers until they were hunted down and killed by Colonel J.H. Patterson, who had been supervising the railway project. The stuffed and mounted carcases of the two lions are now on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. More accounts of how lions disturbed production reveal that two other Englishmen were killed by lions near the railways. The railways undoubtedly played a central part in shaping Kenyan history, including helping to establish present day Nairobi, and the trials and tribulations of the line, together with the political details about how the railway affected the lives of people from Africa, England and Asia, is a fascinating history. You will be enthralled by visiting the Railway Museum in Nairobi.