The LEGO Group today unveils the #21344 LEGO Ideas Orient Express – a beautiful brick recreation of one of the world’s most luxurious and legendary forms of travel. Known as a ‘rolling palace’ the Orient Express was the world’s first international luxury train that carried thousands of passengers across Europe to Istanbul from 1883 to 1977.
Released to celebrate the train’s 140th anniversary, the new 2,540-piece LEGO set transports builders back to the Golden Age of travel, with some stunning key features, including the main locomotive, tender, dining, and sleeping cars. The train is approximately 116 cm/in long, 8 cm/in wide, and 12 cm/in high.
The #21344 LEGO Ideas Orient Express set also features removable roofs to allow access to detailed interiors, eight LEGO minifigures including the conductor, a chef, staff, and a variety of passengers that depict different passengers. Decorations of the destinations that the train visited on its original route are also visible across the magnificent set.
The set was designed by 27-year-old Paris-based, LEGO fan Thomas Lajon, as part of the LEGO Ideas program. Once designed, 10,000 people voted for it to be made into a real set. Talking about his design, Thomas Lajon said:
“I have always been a great fan of locomotives, sailing ships, and ocean liners. As a child, I collected everything related to them. Years later, my girlfriend encouraged me to get back in touch with LEGO bricks, and knowing my love for trains, she encouraged me to make one. Obviously, I chose to make the Orient Express. A sumptuous French train, at the heart of many stories.”
The #21344 LEGO Ideas Orient Express set is going to be available from the 1st of December via official LEGO stores and the Online LEGO Shop. Prices are as follows: $299.99 / £259.99/ €299.99/ 469.99 AUD/ 2499 CNY / 121990 HUF. For more information, visit the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the new LEGO Ideas train? Are you planning to add it to your collection? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
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