Nairobi Railway Museum - lion attack

[John Ashworth]

Superintendent Charles Ryall was waiting in 1st class coach no 12 in 1900 to try and shoot a man-eating lion which had been attacking railway construction workers. It seems he drifted off to sleep. The lion came in through a window (see how small they are!), reportedly stood on a sleeping colleague without harming him, and dragged Ryall out of the window, killing him.

Photos by John Ashworth 1st March 2008

[John Ashworth]

Photos of the same coaches stabled in a slightly different order taken by John Ashworth in 1996

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

What we were talking about! Thank you!!!!!

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

he coaches were based on an Indian design - hence the shutters and small windows - designed to deal with a hot environment.

It is amazing that a lion could get through a window that size, let alone drag Ryall out of the window. The other individual in the coach was an Italian called Parenti.

The story is well documented - see "The Lions of Tsavo" by Patterson, or the "Lunatic Express" by C Miller.

The UR (for those who may wonder) stands for Uganda Railways, which is what it was called then.

[John Ashworth]

Sudanese coaches also have those sun shade blinds over the windows.

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Have you travelled in them? DO they work?

[John Ashworth]

Never travelled on Sudan Railways, sadly. I don't know if the sun shades work.