Windhoek Railway Station
Windhoek Railway Station was built in a Cape Dutch-style and is located in Bahnhof Street. An additional northern wing was constructed by South African Railways in 1929 to match the existing style of the building.
The station also houses the small Trans-Namib Railroad Museum which outlines Namibian transport history, particularly that of the railway. Opened on July 1st 1993, the exhibition consists of a wide range of railway equipment, maps and related items which date back to German colonial times. Another part of the exhibition is dedicated to Namibian Airways history and Namibian Maritime history. You can also see the crockery and cutlery used in the dining cars of South African Railways in Namibia along with telecommunication and electrical equipment.
Across from the entrance stands the German locomotive Poor Ole Joe, one half of a South West African Zwillinge No 154A, the sole surviving specimen of this type of steam locomotive. It was originally shipped to Swakopmund in 1899 and reassembled for the run to Windhoek.
The white-painted reception building of the historic Windhoek train station can be seen from afar and is still in operation today. This ornate station, which was built in 1901 as the terminal of the Imperial Railway Administration, connected Swakopmund with Windhoek. In 1910, when the railway was shut down, the building assumed the role of the main train station for the narrow-gauge railway between Swakopmund and Otavi.
With the beautifully designed station forecourt, the historic building of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, and a whole series of large exhibits from earlier railway times, the colonial-style building forms a stylish ensemble. The station is an architectural blend of Wilhelmine and Art Nouveau elements. Poor Ole Joe stands in front of the station building - one of over 100 narrow-gauge locomotives imported from Germany. The first narrow-gauge railway between Windhoek and Swakopmund was already running in 1902, at that time it was still at today's transport station.
Poor Ole Joe is a 54 A, an Illing narrow-gauge steam locomotive with a 600 mm gauge and was manufactured in 1900 by Henschel & Sohn GmbH, Kassel, Germany, under the serial number 5376. It was put into operation in 1904 and operated on the Swakopmund - Windhoek route. The steam locomotive was taken out of service in 1939 after traveling approximately 371,000 miles.
The station also houses the small Trans-Namib Transport Museum, which describes the Namibian transport history, especially that of the railway. The exhibition opened on July 1, 1993, consists of a variety of railway equipment, maps, and similar items from the German colonial era. You can also see a class 32-000 General Electric U18C1 diesel-electric locomotive and some other relics, including a "Bospadda", an armored patrol car nicknamed Kobus from the Namibian bushwar.
Another part of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of Namibian Airways and the history of Namibian Maritime. You can also see the crockery and cutlery used in the South African Railways dining cars in Namibia, as well as telecommunications and electrical equipment.
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