Yesterday MTH released on their website a product update video for the new Orient Express. The detail is amazing! There are so many brass details on it, more than I’ve seen on a model anyway. If this is what the LMS & BR Princess Coronation are going to be like, I eagerly await to see them when delivered. Hopefully Classic Toy Trains will get a chance to review these locomotives.
I received the MTH newsletter and saw the Orient Express loco. My first reaction was "I wonder if they will name it the “From Russia With Love” Orient Express? [:D]
I guess it is probably aimed mainly at the European market. I can’t picture a lot of US buyers grabbing it. It is nicely detailed, but they never mention the price, not that it will matter much to those who would buy this type of loco. But all that detailing does not come cheap. I hope there really is a big market in Europe for this. I’d hate to see MTH get stuck sitting on this loco for years and years. They better release passenger cars for it right away.
Dep
If so, will we see the train from “Goldeneye”? Lol, but regarding the passenger cars, they have a set catalogued in their recent catalog (2008 Vol. 2 I think). Nice set as well, but I’m sure it’ll be a long wait for them.
Where did the “Orient Express” run?
I always understood that it ran from Paris to Istanbul (with various routes).
That locomotive is a “Chapelon-Nord”, SNCF class Nord 231E Pacific. It is based on the Paris - Orleans 3700 rebuilds of the 3500 class, which started with 3566, later 3700 from 1929. These were also used on the Est. But the model includes the Nord only illuminated train number indicator above the right side buffer!
But they were not used on the old Paris Lyons Mediterranee which used rebuilt versions of their own 6200 class Pacifics, SNCF classes Sud Est 231G and 231K. It was the PLM that would have carried the Orient Express.
I have the old Rivarrossi HO model of this loco in Nord brown with a set of Fleche d’Or (Golden Arrow) pullman cars and matching van, so I’m not objecting to it, just wondering why it is associated with the Orient Express.
M636C
Yes…Paris to Instanbul. But they changed to different locomotives many times along the route. Maybe this is one of the ones they changed to?