The Polar Express of Germany

Today we toured our first factory, Deutsche Bahn. After getting off the train, we walked to the site and a man who worked there met with us. To our surprise, our tour was going to be completely in German! At first I was a little bit worried that we weren’t going to be able to understand him, but then I membered Myers was with us. Good thing we had him to help us translate everything into English. Deutsche Bahn is the German rail company responsible for logistics of train and bus mobility. We listened to a presentation and learned about all the different types of trains and how they are serviced in Hamburg. It was really cool to learn how trains travelling all over the country go back the Deutsche Bahn facility in Hamburg for repairs, cleaning, and services. Our tour guide then took us to the main area where the trains were stationed. We were able to look underneath the train and see the engine, breaks, and wheels. Then we got to go into one of the ICE trains and explore the control center and the cabin. Since we aren't very familiar with public transportation, it was very cool to see all the things that go into maintaining a train. From having a tour guide who only spoke German to getting up close and personal to the bottom of a train, it was certainly a memorable first factory store.