Mongolian International Railway Station and Museum

For those of you who know me and my family, you know that railroading runs in our blood. Infact, you may even find a few cinders in our blood! Well, I know I've had it in my hair and eyes a few times. And my brother Chris isn't nicknamed "Coal Pile" for nothing. Anyway, before the weather turned cold here, I walked down to the International Train Station and Train Museum.

As I came upon the train station, a Mongolian train had just arrived from north of UB. It's not clear to me all the trains that come and go from this station. Clearly there are trains that come and go from as far east as Beijing and as far west as Moscow. It has been a dream of mine to take the train from Russia to Beijing, but that would take about a week. Maybe I'll due it in steps.

The station was bustling with activity and I captured a few photos of the action on the platform. Locals transporting goods to and from UB, a man waiting on the platform with the wooden frame of a ger, vendors selling food to travelers. It was kind of exciting to think of this historic railway that connected Eastern Europe to the Far East. Although, once the trains reach the Chinese border, they must change the train trucks to narrow gauge. This system was originally created to prevent the Czar from invading China.

The outdoor train museum has many engines in restoration - from steam to electric. There's even an American made steam engine from Pennsylvania. Would love to know the story behind that and how it got to Mongolia!