This covers the section from Ulan Ude (5609 km) to Irkutsk (5153 km) which took approximately seven hours and covered 456 kilometres, the principal feature of the journey being Lake Baikal. The train runs for 196 kilometres along the southern shore from twenty five kilometers east of Babushkin (5445 km) to five kilometres west of Slyudyanka (5279 km).

Arriving at Ulan Ude it was obvious that this was a busy railway location with five long platforms and an imposing station building. At the end of the platforms was a preserved steam locomotive, an Su 2-6-2 built in Sormovskii Mashinostroitel’nyi Zavod located in Gor’ki (now Nizhnii Novgorod) in 1949, serial number 3601, with running number 251-97; however on display it carries the number 205-91, I could not establish from any sources why this has happened. At least one other passenger train was present, unusually with a diesel locomotive. After the now customary locomotive exchange of one EP1 for another but differently liveried EP1, we departed and passed a large locomotive depot which included at least one steam locomotive. The line headed north following the Selanga River through a “water gap” in the Khamar Daban Mountains, before crossing the river and resuming our westward journey, the river splitting into a massive delta feeding Lake Baikal.

It is unfortunate that the Trans-Siberian is not equipped with any form of dome or observation cars, rather it is a “normal” express train picking up and dropping off passengers all along the route, also there are no special facilities for passenger comfort, the toilet was utilitarian and washing ones hair in the sink of a rocking train is an art form. However the toilet had one redeeming feature, a window that could be opened, and as the compartment windows were now quite grubby, I resorted to catching some views of Lake Baikal through the open toilet window.

Baikal is a truly massive lake, to quote from Encyclopaedia Britannica: - “It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20 million–25 million years old), as well as the deepest continental body of water, having a maximum depth of 5,315 feet (1,620 metres). Its area is some 12,200 square miles (31,500 km²), with a length of 395 miles (636 km) and an average width of 30 miles (48 km). It is also the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, containing about one-fifth of the fresh water on Earth’s surface, some 5,500 cubic miles (23,000 km³). Into Lake Baikal flow more than 330 rivers and streams, the largest of which include the Selenga, Barguzin, Upper (Verkhnyaya) Angara, Chikoy, and Uda. The only outflow is through the Angara River, a tributary of the Yenisey.” It was clear that the water levels had risen over time (see below) as all along the shore line there was evidence of a line at a lower level, in some locations it was simply an abandoned formation while in others the rails were still present and appeared to be used as a means of adding coastal defence material. Despite the great beauty much of the shoreline was simply the old formation, only in the occasional town was there an attempt to beautify the environs. The lake is however naturally beautiful surrounded by high snow capped mountains to the south, it was the scenic highlight of the trip for me.

After 191 kilometres of breathtaking views we approached Slyudyanka which is a brief stop for the train, and as we slowed I was amazed to see two working steam locomotives, my picture taken on the spur of the moment is sadly not worth reproducing, I learned afterwards that they were used to operate a tourist train along the remaining section of the Circum – Baikal Railway to Baikal station. This railway diverges at Kultuck five kilometres from Slyudyanka and continues for eighty-nine kilometres to Baikal station along the north western shore. It was at one time part of the Trans Siberian route, originally passing down the Angara River to Irkutsk, and this section was abandoned in 1949. Following closure it was immediately flooded by a hydro electric dam in Irkutsk, this had the effect of raising the level of Lake Baikal, and hence the need for a higher level line along the shoreline.

Leaving Slyudyanka the line to Irkutsk must rise three hundred meters to cross the Tunkinsky Ridge forming the north western end of the lake. The train climbs by a series of horseshoe curves creating more and more expansive views back along the south shore where we had previously travelled as we gained height, until finally after twenty-five kilometres we turned away from the lake to continue our climb northwards over the pass leading to Irkutsk. At the summit we were back into taiga before descending a long and winding grade to Irkutsk, which with a population of 617,000 was the largest city we had encountered since leaving Vladivostock.

Our entry into Irkutsk station is on the original Circum-Baikal route which we rejoined just three kilometres from the station and four kilometres west of the Irkutsk hydro-electric dam across the Angara River. As a consequence of this retention of the original station the current route approaches the downtown in the shape of a huge “U” successively heading north, east, south, east, north and finally north west. Freight traffic has a bypass line which avoids the downtown area of Irkutsk.

The customary locomotive exchange occurred again the replacement locomotive was another EP1. We were reminded how intensive the passenger service is by the platform indicator, the train shortly due on the adjacent platform was train 336 Chita to Moscow just twenty-two minutes after our train. To put it in a Canadian perspective that would be like a train from Kamloops to Toronto scheduled to be twenty-two minutes behind the Canadian at Edmonton!

A feature of Russian stations is the grand architecture of the station buildings and Irkutsk was no exception, a long cream painted facade was most impressive. However the platforms are totally open which in winter is probably a considerable task to keep clear.