“Engines and Wagons”: The Challenges and Options of Conserving Railway Heritage

Abstract

Zimbabwe has a rich railway heritage that includes rail engines, wagons, coaches, trolleys, ticket rooms, rail stations, and tracks. The National Railway Museum of Zimbabwe (NRMZ) has a long history in providing railway transport and have contributed to the social, economic, and political lives of Zimbabweans. The NRMZ is the only institution that collects, preserve, and display railway heritage. This study investigates the effectiveness of the NRMZ in conserving railway heritage. This study employed qualitative research methodology. It is revealed that railway collections are deteriorating at unprecedented levels. The major agents of deterioration include relative humidity, temperature, pollution, pests and rodents as well as human factors. The study concludes that the NRMZ is employing ineffective conservation strategies and the museum is likely to lose more collections if they do not prioritize preventive conservation, develop collections, and disaster management policies.

“Of War Tanks and Military Memorabilia”: A Look at the Conservation of Military Collections at the Zimbabwe Military Museum (ZMM)

“…Florescent lamps produce ultra-violet radiation which is detrimental to paper, textile, leather, and other organic collections. The recommended light efficacy level for museum collections is 50 lux (Chitima 2021). This can be supplemented by mounting lighting outside display cases and switching off lights when galleries are not in use.…”

“…Chitima (2021) indicate that many African museums experience collections deteriorating under their watch due to lack of trained personnel. Conservation effort is often relegated to the general hands or workshop department who in many instances may be trained in carpentry and in some instances achieved metric only.…”

“…Chitima (2021) has found out that the biggest conservation challenge at the National Railway Museum (NRMZ) in Zimbabwe is the lack of collections management policies and trained personnel. Collections on display were mainly affected by Relative Humidity (RH), temperature, pests, and rodents as well as pollution.…”

“…Collections on display were mainly affected by Relative Humidity (RH), temperature, pests, and rodents as well as pollution. Chitima (2021) gathered that artifacts in open displays or in open hangars were usually affected by many agents of deterioration because they were not adequately protected. Chitima (2021) also reveals that collections on display when not adequately secured were prone to vandalism and theft by museum staff members and visitors.…”

“…Chitima (2021) gathered that artifacts in open displays or in open hangars were usually affected by many agents of deterioration because they were not adequately protected. Chitima (2021) also reveals that collections on display when not adequately secured were prone to vandalism and theft by museum staff members and visitors. Therefore it was strongly recommended that effective conservation of collections on display requires museums to have key policy frameworks, trained staff members, conservation equipment, and purpose built museum building infrastructure.…”