the orient express

The Orient Express started in 1883 ran from Paris to Istanbul via Strasbourg,Munich,Vienna,Budapest and Bucarest. It was owned by the Wagon Litts Company and ran a total distance of 2000 Kms.It was perhaps the only train of its train which ran across 7 countries. It was the ultimate in luxury and its passengers comprised the royalty and other elite of Europe.
The Orient Express was suspended twice during WW1&2 and discontinued on May 19 1977.
The Orient Express featured in many novels and films. 'The Murder on the Orient Express' a detective novel by Agatha Christie is a classic featuring Hercule Poirot. A mafia gangster is murdered aboard the train by 12 members of a family to avenge the kidnapping and murder of a 5 year old girl by the gangster. Poirot unravels the mystery while the train is halted due to a snow storm. It was filmed in 1974 starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot.