Bulawayo Railway Museum

We slept pretty well. Everyone else complained about the cold, but we were warm enough in our room. Breakfast was at 8am this morning, ahead of the trip leaving at 8.30am. Those of us not going (Mark and I, Kim, Iona, and Greg) got landed with the washing up, but it was no big deal.

After the others had left, Vivien arrived to take Mark, Greg, and me to the railway museum. On the way, she explained that her and David are in the process of taking over the company from a couple who are retiring to the UK. At the museum, she introduced us to Mr Murray, who would show us around. She then left, promising to come and pick us up a couple of hours later.

Mr Murray is a white Zimbabwean who started working for Rhodesian Railways in 1972 and who now runs the museum assisted by Blessed, a young local girl who he is training to take over from him. The museum is clearly a passion project for him. It is owned by the Zimbabwe national railway company. They pay his and Blessed’s wages, but that’s it! They have just told him to do what he can! He has no funding. All of the entrance fees (US$2 per person) go to the company. None of the money goes to the museum. There are no sponsors. I asked Mr Murray if he has been in touch with any international railway preservation societies, particularly in the UK. He has, but no-one wants to send money to Zimbabwe! This is all very sad.

Mr Murray has amassed a huge collection of Rhodesian/Zimbabwean railway memorabilia, including several steam and diesel engines, and a number of coaches. He even has the coach built for Cecil John Rhodes by the de Beer diamond mining company, which he founded. The coach was used to carry Rhodes’s coffin after he died. All of the exhibits are left as they are. There is no money to preserve them properly. Mr Murray is passionate about his museum, but it’s hard to see how the items housed there will survive for future generations to see.

After a fascinating couple of hours, we thanked Mr Murray profusely for his time and gave him a small donation towards his work. Vivien then took us back to our campsite. On the way, she told us that her company, Black Rhino Tours, offers city tours of Bulawayo, as well as the rhino excursion the rest of our group were doing. These include the railway museum, the national history museum, the cultural centre, and a tour of the city. Had we known about this, we would definitely have booked it! We will feed back to Laban and ask him why it isn’t offered as an alternative on our trip!!

Back at camp, we sat in the sunshine writing my notes, posting, listening to music, and chatting to Kim and Iona. It was all very pleasant. Henry cooked us chicken, rice, and salad for lunch. We then went for a wander around the site. It’s a bit rundown, but that’s understandable given the recent history here in Zimbabwe. We took advantage of having the facilities to ourselves and had showers this afternoon!

The others got back at around 6.45pm. They had had a good day, although some said they were disappointed that they only saw four white rhino and no black. I think we made the right decision for us.

We had dinner at around 7.30pm – pumpkin soup followed by chicken with pasta and salad. Afterwards, some people came over from another Intrepid truck that’s also on site. They are heading south doing our trip in reverse. They were mainly young Australians who wanted to party! Within 20 minutes of their arrival, all of our group had decided to go to bed, except the two young Canadians who have joined us recently. They were overheard complaining that our truck has too many rules and that it’s full of old people!! Rude!!Read more