International Railroad Discussion > Kim Jung Un's Train

The armored train is in the news again, reference his train trip to Russia to meet with Putin.

Reportedly, his father and grandfather used it. How old are the cars?

Victor Baird

Posted from Android

I seem to recall his father came close to being blown up on one of those trips.

If I remember their travel circus, the trains being 3 in total with one as a decoy, the other as the
actual carrier, and the third being an body guard contingent with heavy munitions and troops.  

The stop to perform ballet without tu tu's  and toe shoes, change the wheel sets to meet the russian rail gauge
and then travel on to Moscow (MOKBA) and then stop on the return leg to perform Ballet with tu tu's and toe shoes,
exchange wheel sets to the north korean train gauge and travel to pyongyang.

I am not positive about the trains age but they are russian and at least 60 years old. 

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/kim-jong-un-travels-to-russia-his-bulletproof-train-spotted-ahead-of-putin-meeting-8522ce44?st=9p9ekuqlzykr4zd&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

The cars from the official train on display at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where both Kim's father and grandfather lie in state, in Pyongyang,  looked like standard Ammendorf style equipment built in the GDR. There was a map showing all the places the train has been back in the 60's and 70's when the DPRK had better relations with the West. The cars are dual gauge and can be switched from the Korean standard gauge to the Russian gauge. 
I don't have pictures as cameras aren't allowed in the Palace and both Western tour guides and the Korean guides make sure the rules are understood. 

On the other hand a car used by the Kim's until not that long ago for travel in the DPRK only is preserved at the national railway museum. It's either US built by GE or who knows or Japanese built before WWII.

As an aside, I believe there is a monthly thru sleeping car between Moscow and Pyongyang that operates on one of the slower Moscow Vladvostok trains. There is a very entertaining trip report by an Austrian employee of the OBB who wrote himself a ticket for the service all the way to Pyongyang. He didn't have a visa or permission to travel to the DPRK but ended up successfully making it to Pyongyang with out any issues except some deep confusion on the part of the Korean officials and KITC. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/23 09:42 by GettingShort.

---

Don't think I would volunteer for a one way ride to North Korea. Just sayin'

be cool if putins train  was next to it

Could hit them both with a drone