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Travel used to be glamorous. The Orient Express wasn’t just a train, it was a moving monument to indulgence, whispered secrets, and over-the-top chandeliers. Now, LEGO® wants to bring that spirit back, only this time in brick form.
A Palace on Rails, Now in Plastic
The new LEGO Orient Express train set clocks in at 2,540 pieces, which is roughly the same number of tiny parts you’ll curse under your breath while looking for that one elusive tile. The model captures the big three: the locomotive, the tender, and those velvet-soaked dining and sleeping cars. Even better, the roofs lift off so you can snoop around inside at the painstakingly recreated inlaid wood panels and fake cut-glass mirrors.
Minifigures With Flair
A train this iconic wouldn’t feel right without characters. Enter eight new LEGO minifigures: conductor, chef, staff, and a cast of passengers dripping with early 20th-century attitude. For gearheads, there are new parts too: coupling rods, a redesigned whistle, and a brick-built funnel. And yes, it’s compatible with the LEGO track system, because what’s a train that doesn’t run?
From Paris to Production
The set was dreamed up by Parisian film director Thomas Lajon, who posted it to the LEGO Ideas platform. Enough people loved the idea (10,000 votes, to be exact) that LEGO gave it the green light. Lajon built it for two reasons: he loves trains, and he loves LEGO bricks. His girlfriend apparently played muse, nudging him back into the hobby. Not a bad payoff.
Release Date and Price
The LEGO Orient Express launches December 1, 2023, right in time for holiday gift lists. LEGO hasn’t confirmed all regional prices yet, but based on recent premium sets of similar size, expect it to land around €299 / $299 / £259 / AUD 469 / DKK 2,199 / SEK 3,399 / PLN 1,399 / BRL 1,549. For a rolling palace in miniature, that’s practically a bargain.
