Visiting Botswana 4

We drove past this vintage railway carriage in Gaborone quite a few times. It is on display at the National Museum, even though I didn't make it into the museum itself. The carriage is viewable from the road.

This Rhodesia Railways coach was donated to the Botswana Society by the then National Railways of Rhodesia in 1975. The coach was built in 1931 and is still in good condition, serving as a historical exhibit that allows visitors to see a piece of the era when Rhodesia Railways operated through Botswana.

Rhodesia Railways operated a vital railway line through Botswana (then the Bechuanaland Protectorate), connecting it to the sea via Cape Town in South Africa. This line facilitated trade and transport for both Rhodesia and Botswana. The 1931 coach is a tangible link to that period.

This railway line was an extension of Cecil Rhodes' ambition to connect Cape Town to Cairo, aiming to solidify British imperial control and facilitate the transport of resources. Construction began from Mafeking (in South Africa) in 1894, travelling north through Bechuanaland (Botswana) before reaching Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) in 1897. It provided a crucial link for the fledgling colonial territory of Rhodesia.