I pick up a long, narrow package. It crackles. A model train appears. "When I grow up, I want to do something with trains." Eleven years later: I hear a Russian announcement. And I still can't believe that a small dream has become reality. That I am currently sitting on the Trans-Siberian Railway – as an engineer and participant in a test run for a new carriage. The days ahead of me were truly special by GDR standards. Most people couldn't travel that far. In Moscow, we were hitched up and then drove for seven days, approximately 8,000 kilometers, towards Japan. Working in shifts, we took measurements on the carriage's technology. With the model train at Christmas came a passion for large-scale railways. This led to the decision in 1961 to apply to the Dresden University of Transport. At the same time, in 11th grade, I decided to major in "Electric Railways and Systems." In the GDR, the sought-after subjects—like everything else—were distributed according to a planned economy. And those who didn't distinguish themselves through long-term military service or other political distinctions were often at a disadvantage. My getting a place at university wasn't just due to my good grades. I also had a bit of luck. Even today, I'm still enthusiastic about anything that moves on rails.
