Our crew of seven (me, Joyce, Mary, Bill, Kelly, Anne, and Terry) were 
deposited across from the madhouse of a train station and struggled, along with hoards of Chinese accented with rolling luggage, up the stairs, through the gates, and into our rooms on the train. We rode in the midgrade rooms equipped with four beds, a small table, and a nice large window. As we later would find out, the class above ours was rather deluxe with air conditioning and their own bathroom. Over the 36 hour ride you could always find a few of the inhabitants working away on laptops and living it up while we enjoyed the hot Chinese & Mongolian breezes with some cards and Johnnie Walker.
deposited across from the madhouse of a train station and struggled, along with hoards of Chinese accented with rolling luggage, up the stairs, through the gates, and into our rooms on the train. We rode in the midgrade rooms equipped with four beds, a small table, and a nice large window. As we later would find out, the class above ours was rather deluxe with air conditioning and their own bathroom. Over the 36 hour ride you could always find a few of the inhabitants working away on laptops and living it up while we enjoyed the hot Chinese & Mongolian breezes with some cards and Johnnie Walker. 
My bunkmate ended up being a retired truck driver from Denmark concluding his 20 day train and boat travel from home to Beijing and back. Introducing Anders, a man with a foot fetish and user of tighty whities as room decoration:
The trip through China ventured through Beijing, farms, ghost towns, villages, power plants, rice fields, and beautiful mountains (though, regretfully, none of these pictures do any justice):
Lunch and dinner were provided in China in a dining car. I currently do not have pictures of this dining car, but if I guessed the correct price of gas at some station located on some corner of Tacoma, Washington on August 2nd, then I win the stolen (and impressive) toothpick holder from this dining car.
As evening approached, we were herded off the train while the train crossed the border and changed it's wheels. This is required because once upon a time Russians wanted a different size railway in order to protect themselves (and Mongolia) from the Chinese. Therefore, it was time to stock up on water, $6 King Richard rum, and a bottle of Moutai. Once we reboarded the train we set out into the Gobi desert of Mongolia beneath the greatest amount of stars I have ever seen followed by an unforgettable sunrise:
Then into the Mongolian steppes:
* unfortunately, my camera batteries died towards the end of this excursion but I will post more pics of Mongolia as seen from the train and my train companions as my counterparts send them to me.