IDEAS / 21344 · 2023

LEGO Ideas Orient Express: A One-Metre Journey Through Charm, Detail and a Few Questionable Choices

There are LEGO sets you buy because you are interested in the building experience, others because you love the subject, and then there are those you already know will become the centrepiece of the room once completed.

For me, the LEGO Ideas Orient Express definitely belongs to the last category.

I had been waiting for it practically since it was announced and, after finally building it, I can say it: I fell in love with this set piece by piece.

That doesn’t mean it is perfect. Far from it. There are a few choices I still struggle to understand and, especially when we are talking about a LEGO train, some of them are rather questionable.

Before the LEGO Set, There Was a Legend

The Orient Express entered service in 1883, connecting Paris with Constantinople, today’s Istanbul. Over the years, it became much more than just a railway service: luxury, long journeys across Europe and that unmistakable atmosphere we still immediately associate with its name today.

Its legendary status was, of course, further reinforced by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

So it was almost inevitable that sooner or later such an iconic train would become a LEGO set.

The configuration chosen by LEGO includes a steam locomotive with tender, a dining car and a sleeping car. Inevitably a very reduced consist compared with a real Orient Express, but still enough to create a seriously long model.

And when I say long, I mean that once you have finished building it, you also have to start wondering where the hell you are going to put it.

A Model With Incredible Presence

Its visual impact is probably one of its greatest strengths.

Dark blue, gold details, light-coloured roofs, the steam locomotive and those two enormous coaches: displayed as a complete train, the Orient Express really is spectacular.

But the part that impressed me most becomes apparent when you remove the roofs from the coaches.

Inside the sleeping car we find both first- and second-class accommodation. The more luxurious section includes a double bed, sofa, writing desk with typewriter and a separate bathroom. There is even the characteristic mirror above the headboard, recreated using a stickered element.

The other section offers simpler accommodation with bunk beds, a small table and bathroom.

The dining car is equally impressive, with fully laid tables, a bar area and decorative panels designed to recreate some of the extremely elegant atmosphere that helped make the Orient Express legendary.

It is when you start exploring these interiors that the model really begins to tell a story.

But How Accurate Is It to the Real Orient Express?

This is where things become a little more complicated.

The original project submitted to LEGO Ideas was quite different and, after looking at both historical and contemporary photographs of the Orient Express, I got the impression that the final model is something of an interpretation combining different periods.

Some elements clearly reference the historic Orient Express of the 1920s and 1930s, while others seem much closer to the appearance of contemporary luxury trains.

Some details of the coaches have also been simplified. The windows, for example, are very uniform in size, while the real coaches feature openings of different dimensions.

I don’t necessarily consider all of this a flaw. It is still a LEGO model, not a scale railway replica.

But it is interesting because the finished set seems designed to represent the idea of the Orient Express, rather than one specific train from one precise period in its history.

Some Choices on the Locomotive Are Less Convincing

If the coaches are probably my favourite part of the set, there are a few details on the locomotive that I find less successful.

The front section, for example, gives me a strange unfinished feeling. Some studs remain exposed and personally I would have preferred a cleaner finish.

But above all, there are the connecting rods.

A specific element was created for this model and, precisely for that reason, I expected something more refined. I find them bulky, rather plasticky and not particularly harmonious with the level of detail achieved throughout the rest of the train.

It is one of those details that, once you notice it, becomes difficult to unsee.

The Couplings Are an Unusual Choice Too

Another decision that surprised me concerns the connections between the locomotive, tender and coaches.

Instead of the traditional magnetic LEGO train couplings, the model uses a ball-joint system.

It works, of course, but it also makes the train less immediately compatible with other LEGO railway models.

And for an enthusiast who already owns locomotives and rolling stock, it is inevitably a slightly puzzling choice.

And Then There’s the Elephant in the Room: It Isn’t Motorized

For me, this is the real issue.

We are talking about a LEGO train approximately one metre long.

And it is essentially designed as a static display model.

The absence of a motor in the box is something I can completely understand, especially considering the additional cost it would have introduced. What I find much harder to understand is why LEGO did not provide an official solution for motorizing it afterwards.

The tender even contains a large empty space that almost seems designed to accommodate Powered Up components. Other LEGO trains, such as the Crocodile, were sold without a motor but designed so that motorization could be added relatively easily.

Here, instead, we have to figure it out ourselves.

And naturally, that is exactly what I intend to do.

Because a one-metre-long LEGO Orient Express sitting motionless on a track, however beautiful it may be, feels almost like a mortal sin.

And While We’re Talking About Track…

This brings me to another issue concerning the modern LEGO railway system in general.

The set includes a display track, which is certainly appreciated considering that the model was primarily conceived for display.

But if you decide to actually run it, another problem immediately appears.

LEGO does not offer a simple track pack containing everything you need to build a standard oval.

The current expansion packs contain an assortment of elements that means you need several boxes just to create a complete circuit.

And that feels rather ironic considering what we were saying about LEGO trains from the 1980s: back then, there seemed to be an accessory for practically every railway requirement, whereas today even building a simple layout can become unnecessarily complicated.

There Is One More Thing a Train Like This Is Asking For: Lights

Just look at those coaches.

Huge windows, incredibly detailed interiors, a restaurant, bedrooms, tables and decorations.

Now imagine all of that illuminated with warm interior lighting.

It would probably look fantastic.

And it is a shame LEGO did not provide a dedicated lighting system. Third-party kits obviously exist and I have to admit that, on a model like this, I am seriously tempted to try one.

Because lighting wouldn’t simply be a special effect.

It would literally bring those interiors to life.

So, Is It Worth the Price?

And now we come to the inevitable question.

We are talking about a set costing around €300, so this certainly isn’t an impulse purchase.

But it is also an enormous, extremely impressive model with interiors that give you a lot to discover.

There are flaws.

Some of the aesthetic choices on the locomotive do not convince me, the coupling system is unusual, building the display track becomes rather repetitive and, above all, I still cannot understand the complete absence of an official motorization solution.

And yet, once it is finished, I have to admit one thing:

I absolutely love it.

If you love LEGO trains and are looking for a major display model, the Orient Express is one of those sets capable of immediately becoming the centrepiece of a collection.

And if you can find it at a good discount, even better.

For me, the real shame is not what this set is.

It is what it could have been with just a few additional touches.

A lighting system.

Official provision for motorization.

A few more refined details on the locomotive.

Because the foundations were already exceptional.

And despite all my criticisms, in the end the most important thing remains:

this Orient Express made me want to see it running.

And a train capable of doing that has probably already done most of its job.