Pump Trolley

Colour photograph depicting the pump trolley in the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum. This “SF handcar” pump trolley was manufactured by D Wickham & Co. of Ware, Hertfordshire, England, in the 1960s and was a common type of vehicle for getting track workers or inspectors to a place of work. Simple, robust and light, the vehicle could be lifted on and off the track with comparative ease. It was moved by men ‘pumping’ the handles up and down, applying reciprocating motion to a geared axle. This example originally worked in Bo and is now enjoyed by visitors to the museum of all ages.