In 1895 the first railway track was built to transport guano from Cape Cross to the Atlantic port of Swakopmund, and from there to Windhoek. However, 500 km of Namib Desert and rough mountain ranges had to be negotiated, a trek that took teams of oxen several weeks. At this time the set-up of new supply lines was becoming more and more urgent because the Germans were involved in constant skirmishes with the native population. Construction of a narrow-gauge track was therefore started in 1897 to connect both places, and finished in 1902. Six years later large diamond deposits were discovered near Lüderitz, necessitating a railway link to Keetmanshoop, and then, in 1912, to Windhoek. Another track connected the capital with Tsumeb in the north, where a huge copper mine had been established.

After World War I, South Africa took over the German colony and its railway system. Gradually various modern changes were introduced, although at a much slower pace than elsewhere. The workshops of the Imperial Railroad at Karibib did have electric light as early as 1902, but diesel-electric locomotives only made their appearance in 1958, and the rail network was never significantly enlarged.

Today, it basically still consists of the large rectangle of the imperial era, with the Lüderitz link in disuse and slowly crumbling to dust. To account for this conservative development, which had preserved so much original substance of the past, the new Namibian government in 1990 approached Walter Rusch, an old-time (since 1953) railwayman of German stock, to set up a museum that would familiarise the public with the history of the country’s railway system from the imperial narrow-gauge to the South African leviathan ‘Class 32-000’ of modern times.

Rusch went to work with a vengeance. He even recruited Joos Lauw, another railwayman who was already retired, to give him a hand. Although both had to start at square one, they managed to assemble an enormous collection of railroad memorabilia, from the Prussian ticket punch to huge locomotives and a vast, specialised library which lacks absolutely nothing at all. On July 1st 1993, the TransNamib Railway Museum was inaugurated at the (still operative) Windhoek Main Station located at Bahnhofstrasse. It was an instant success.

Thousands of railroad freaks have since visited this splendid museum. A sojourn there is certainly worth one’s while because there is much more to see than the mentioned Prussian punch (including the associated ticket). The “heavy-duty” silverware of the erstwhile dining coaches may be admired, as may the furniture of imperial stationmasters’ quarters, timetables of yore and stacks of old photographs featuring mighty steam-horses, superbly equipped workshops in the middle of nowhere, and well-fed German railroad men with handlebar moustaches grinning smugly into the camera. The able curator will personally guide visitors around and won’t be at a loss for any answer. He even knows why the backrests of those old coach seats have notches – so the ladies’ handbags wouldn’t slip off. All in all an enjoyable show, not only for people interested in trains and rails. If you happen to visit Namibia and Windhoek, don’t fail to pay a visit to this delightful place, which is open from 9:00 to 12:00, and 14:00 to 16:00, on workdays.