Exploring Railway Heritage: A Journey Through Iconic Railway Museums and the Legacy of Nigeria’s Jaekel House
Railway museums worldwide offer an engaging look into the history and evolution of rail transport, showcasing vintage locomotives, modern trains, and interactive exhibits. Highlighted museums include the National Railway Museum in York, UK, with its famous “Mallard” locomotive; Japan’s Saitama Railway Museum, featuring a bullet train simulator; and the California State Railroad Museum, which displays the historic Gold Spike. Other notable mentions are the Paris Railway Museum with its luxury train exhibitions, the Delhi Railway Museum showcasing the “Fairy Queen” locomotive, and Madrid’s Railway Museum housed in the historic Delicias station.
The Unsung Hero in all of these, however, is the Jaekel House in Nigeria, built in 1898, which serves as a vital monument to the country’s railway heritage. Once the residence of Nigeria’s first general manager of the Railway Corporation, it is now a mini-museum. Named after Francis Jaekel OBE, a key figure in Nigeria’s railway history, the museum features photographic archives, artefacts, and historical insights from pre- and post-independence Nigeria. The wooden-floored structure preserves the legacy of Nigeria’s railway system and its impact on the country’s development.
