Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
Books are available inside for borrowing or purchase.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Kenya Nairobi Nairobi Railway Museum

Nairobi Railway Museum

Strolling through these vintage locomotives offers a surprising amount of insight into the history of Kenya.

Nairobi, Kenya

Added By
Peter Heaney
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Nairobi Railway Museum   TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images
Nairobi Railway Museum   Xinhua/Pan Siwei via Getty Images
Cabin Window   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
Valves in Engine Cabin   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
Railway Observation Bicycle   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
Masai of Kenya Nameplate   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
Steam Engine   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
Garratts   peadarheaney / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The construction of the so-called "lunatic line," or Uganda Railway, began in 1896 from Mombasa on the Kenyan coast and finally reached Kisumu on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria in 1901, costing an estimated four lives for every mile of track laid along the way—including some deaths infamously caused by a pair of man-eating lions on the Tsavo plains.

Today, in the centre of Kenya’s capital city, the Nairobi Railway Museum is dedicated to the history of the country's rail network. There you'll find an intriguing jumble of artifacts plus a variety of exhibits and ephemera that illustrate the construction and running of the railway. There are models of railway engines that operated on the line, photographs of the railway throughout its history, and a varied selection of other oddities, including an interesting motorized railway bicycle.

In the surrounding yard are a number of mostly steam and some early diesel locomotives which operated as part of what was initially the Kenya-Uganda Railway, then the East Africa Railway Company and currently the Kenyan Railways Corporation. The most impressive are some of the company’s old "Garratts," a particularly large articulated steam engine that was capable of hauling heavy loads over the long distances and steep inclines of the narrow gauge track. The museum is connected by track to the main Nairobi station and some of the engines are reportedly used for excursions.

Wandering on and around the locomotives makes for a lovely outing and gives you a surprising amount of insight into the nation’s development. The museum itself is almost a time capsule within a time capsule—a well preserved effort from the post-independence days of the 1970s to conserve an emblematic part of its colonial past. Fitting then is the location of the museum, tucked away amid the modern skyscrapers of the central business district. The rising buildings are a constant reminder that all these days are past, a fact further underlined by the ongoing replacement of the obsolete track laid in the 1800s.

Related Tags

Railroads Museums And Collections Museums Trains

Know Before You Go

The museum is located in the centre of Nairobi near the railway station and is open daily from 9am-5pm. For those visiting and not well acquainted with Nairobi it would be advisable to take a taxicab to the museum and ask the driver to wait or call them when you are finished. The entrance fee for non-Kenyan residents is currently 600 Kenyan Shillings.

Community Contributors

Added By

peadarheaney

Edited By

Ursula, Michelle Cassidy

  • Ursula
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

September 30, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Nairobi Railway Museum
City Square Flyover
Nairobi
Kenya
-1.29352, 36.822327
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Nairobi City Park

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Kuona Trust Arts Centre

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Carnivore Restaurant

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nairobi

Nairobi

Kenya

Places 11
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Nairobi City Park

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Kuona Trust Arts Centre

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Carnivore Restaurant

Nairobi, Kenya

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nairobi

Nairobi

Kenya

Places 11
Stories 5

Related Places

  • Monon, Indiana

    Whistle Stop Restaurant

    Train cars and railroad artifacts abound at this restaurant devoted to railway history.

  • Snowplow engine.

    Edmonton, Alberta

    Alberta Railway Museum

    Ride aboard a centuries-year-old steam engine and explore dozens of trains parts, including an unusual "comboose."

  • Chemin de Fer Railway Museum

    Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Chemin de Fer Railway Museum

    Rusting railcars and locomotive equipment fill this Ethiopian train graveyard.

  • Rail yard at the museum

    Sochaczew, Poland

    Sochaczew Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

    This unique railroad museum secretly contains the history of Poland rebuilding itself from the inside-out.

  • Museum of the Moscow Railway

    Moscow, Russia

    Museum of the Moscow Railway

    This Russian locomotive museum was once devoted just to Lenin's funeral before expanding to encompass Moscow's entire train history.

  • Hara Model Railway Museum

    Yokohama, Japan

    Hara Model Railway Museum

    The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.

  • York, England

    National Railway Museum York

    The National Railway Museum in York is the largest railway museum in the world, attracting almost 1 million visitors per year.

  • San Diego, California

    San Diego Model Railroad Museum

    North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.