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N o s t a l g i c O r i e n t E x p r e s s e s
 Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express, class E18 no.118 047 on a daylight trip at Emskirchen, Franken, October 14, 1984 (Anton Soelch)
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Though a first attempt to start a Croisiere de-Luxe by Comte Guy de Casteja in 1967 had failed, the myth “Orient Express” survived by nostalgic de-Luxe trains: In 1976 Alby Glatt of Switzerland together with Walter Finkbohner organized the first Simplon-Orient, then Arlberg-Orient de-Luxe special with old CIWL cars. Collecting more and more cars, Glatt created the Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Epxress, a tourist special, undertaking trips to Istanbul and other European destinations. Journeys to Baghdad and to Isfahan, Iran, had been planned, but were prevented by wars. On a trip to Dresden even the Pacific 18 201 (02.0201) hauled the train - at that time world’s fastest steam locomotive in service, capable of achieving more than180 km/h. It was a rebuilt of the 4-6-6 tank locomotive 61 002 and the experimental H45 024, carried out in 1961 by engineer Max Baumberg, backed by East Germany’s minister of transport Kramer. In 1993 Reisebuero Mittelthurgau, a subsidiary of Mittelthurgau-Bahn (MThB) in Switzerland, who had acquired the train, offered trips from Moscow within Russia. Journeys from Switzerland were undertaken mainly with the Pullman day saloons. In 2002 they were stopped, after Mittelthurgau-Bahn had collapsed. Its Moscow-based sleeping-cars provided special services in Russia. The NIOE was presented in 2006, after change of ownership, as Istanbul Orient Express, but further information is not yet available. The ex-CIWL "Pullman" day saloons, a feature of these nostalgic trains, generally did not run in pre-war Orient Expresses, but there were a very few exceptions: The Suisse-Arlberg-Vienne-Express, predecessor of the Arlberg-Orient-Express, in 1930 had a WPB Basle - Vienna and the Carlsbad branch of the Orient-Express in the '30s a few times was seen with a WP (according to Walter Kreinhoefner), possibly replacing one of the sleepers. Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express Paris - Vienna - Sopron - Budapest - Bucharest - Sofia - Istanbul, departure Munich, March 31, 1983:
In October 1988 on an Istanbul trip modern UH sleepers had replaced the LX and an ex-Rheingold saloon was included, for the original cars were on Japan trip. Also Fleche d' Or Pullman 4080 was acquired. Short-term proprietor MThB bought ex-DSG sleepers type 33, painted dark-blue. In 1982 another enthusiast, the billionaire James B. Sherwood, owner of the Sea Containers group, started the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express with ex-CIWL cars, re-designed in nostalgic Belle Epoque style by French architect Gerard Gallet. Initially it ran Boulogne - Paris Austerlitz - Milan - Venice, with connection from London by Sherwood’s Pullman train and the Channel ferries. As business travelers Paris - Milan failed to appear, the VSOE took from 1984 the more attractive way via Arlberg - Brenner, then with a stop at Paris Est, 1993 - 98 with a Dusseldorf branch, and since 2000 Calais - Venice, the channel being crossed by motor coaches, conveyed by Eurotunnel trains. From 1985 to autumn 1990 the refurbished car ferry “Orient Express” had provided a nice connecting service from Venice to Greece and Turkey. The VSOE became a part of Orient Express Hotel and Trains, managed by Mr.Sherwood jr., separated from the Sea Containers group. The train is now the only quasi-regular de-Luxe Orient-Express, running during season to Venice, Prague, Budapest, sometimes to Istanbul and and from 2007 also to Warsaw, destinations of the various Orient-Expresses long ago. For the world, Sherwood’s train is “the Orient-Express”, but French railways had reserved that famous name for the poor state-owned Paris-Vienna night train, which ended in 2007. Fighting for the label “Orient-Express” had become a business for the attorneys… Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Venice - Milan - Paris Austerlitz - Boulogne, by VSOE, departure Venice, August 7, 1982:
Folkestone - London, May 5, 1983: 2 vans, 1 staff car, Pullmans Phoenix, Audry, Perses, Xygnus, Ibis, Zena, Ione, Minerva. Colors: British Pullmans dark-brown/cream, other cars brown. Traction: Class 73 (electro-diesel). Duesseldorf branch, departure Duesseldorf, e.g. in 1995: Sleeper LX, service sleeper Y, restaurant (ex WP Etoile), Bar 24503 (ex Rheingold). Traction: 118 003 (ex E18), then replaced by 110 348. Colors: Sleepers dark-blue, restaurant dark-blue/cream, bar violet/cream; 118 and 110 blue. The Wagons-Lits company created its own Pullman Orient-Express, for hire and then also for Paris evening excursions. Its consist (in 1994) comprised the Cote d'Azur type Pullmans 4151, 4159, the Train Bleu bar saloons 4148, 4160, the service-car 4013, diners and, when required, sleepers. In 2008 it was decided to give it a final refuge in the Mulhouse railway museum. In Greece old cars as well as steam locomotives are preserved as national monuments. Trips with nostalgic ex-CIWL cars were undertaken, but the fantastic project of a Greek Orient Express special Athens - Istanbul or even Izmir didn’t materialize. A completely different tourist special, consisting of new Turkish sleepers and diners, painted white, made an Istanbul - Bucharest - Prague - Vienna - Istanbul tour in 1999. At least one trip every year was planned, but it didn’t come. A Classic Courier with black 1st class cars offered trips to Constanta. A sensation was the announcement of a luxurious Royal Stambul Express with ex-CIWL cars, Hungarian government saloons and even a preserved teakwood diner for a first special trip to Istanbul.
 Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Venice - Boulogne, Austrian 1020 and 1110, at Pettneu, Arlberg, July 14, 1984 (WS)
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