Starting My Treasure Hunting In England

"GRANDS EXPRESS EUROPEENS - large European express trains, what does this mean?" Fan Meng quickly recognized the French line on the car, and then turned to look at Liang En with a puzzled look.

As a result, he saw Liang En looking at the words with excitement, and at the same time muttering in a low voice: "It's actually this. The 25,000 euros are really worth it."

"Ahem - I'm a little too excited." Seeing Fan Meng staring at him, Liang En also realized that he had just lost his composure, so he coughed and changed the subject, "Because this train is indeed very famous in history."

"Famous?" Fan Meng asked curiously after looking at the half-grey and half-blue carriage in front of him, which was as empty as if he had a skin disease. "Did you recognize the identity of this carriage?"

"Yes." Liang En nodded and said, "The carriages of this train come from a famous luxury train: Orient Express. I think you should have heard of this name."

"Of course, of course I've heard of it." After Fan Meng heard what Liang En said, he immediately looked at the carriage in front of him seriously, "I have read the novel "Murder on the Orient Express". Although the story in it is fictional, But this train is real."

The Orient Express is a long-distance train that traverses the entire Europe. It mainly runs from Paris to Istanbul to cross the European continent. It was originally operated by the International Sleeper Car Company. Historically, the Orient Express has had different routes, but it is generally the same as the original east-west route. point.

This train originated in 1876, when George Nagymack founded the International Sleeper Car Company and began to realize the dream of a luxury train service from Paris to Istanbul, following the example of the luxury sleeper train founded by George Pullman in the United States.

On October 4, 1883, the first Orient Express, named Express d'Orient, departed from the Gare de l'Est in Paris, passed through Munich and Vienna, and arrived in Giurgiu, Romania.

Passengers take a boat across the Danube and transfer to another train in Ruse, Bulgaria, to Varna, and then to Istanbul.

In 1885, another route began passing through Vienna, Belgrade in Serbia, and then from Plovdiv in Bulgaria to Istanbul.

In June 1889, the direct railway to Istanbul was completed. During this period, trains run directly from Paris to Vienna and Budapest, to Bucharest on Mondays and Fridays, and to Belgrade and Istanbul on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Due to the outbreak of World War I, the Orient Express was suspended from July 1914 until it resumed operation in 1918.

During this time, Car No. 2419 was converted into General Foch's office. On November 11, 1918, the famous Armistice Agreement of World War I was signed in this car.

In 1919, the Simplon Tunnel was completed, allowing trains to use the southbound route through Milan, Venice and Trieste. It was called the Simplon-Orient Express and became an important route thereafter.

From then until the 1930s, the Orient-Express entered its heyday, with the Orient-Express, Simplon-Orient-Express, and Jalborg-Orient-Express operating at the same time.

Among them, the Aalborg-Orient Express runs from Zurich and Innsbruck to Budapest; it also has a sleeper train that goes directly to Bucharest and Athens, which is considered the southern route of the Orient Express.

It was also during this period that the train was upgraded from teak carriages to all-steel carriages, and adopted the most advanced technology and the most fashionable Art Deco interiors at the time.

The Orient Express described in Murder on the Orient Express, one of the masterpieces of the famous detective novelist Agatha Christie, refers to the Orient Express of this period. Of course, it was also the carriage that Liang En and the others found now.

Because of its high speed and modern luxury, the Orient Express was especially popular with diplomats, artists and writers. Writers such as Snett Hemingway, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie made this train famous throughout the ages in their works.

However, during the chaos of World War II, the Orient Express was suspended again, and a large number of carriages were damaged or missing. However, after the war, the trains resumed operation.

In 1947, the railway from Paris to Istanbul first resumed operation, and then connected to Athens in 1951. Unfortunately, the trains were no longer as organized and well-maintained as they were in front of the station, and the staff were not fully staffed.

At the same time, the advent of the Cold War also brought great problems to the operation of trains. Various artificial obstacles greatly reduced the operation speed of the trains. At the same time, the disappearance of the unified operator also caused a visible decline in the service quality of the trains.

In 1962, the classic Orient-Express to Vienna and Budapest lost its officially recognized luxury status but is still running, and the Simplon-Orient-Express only operates between Paris and Zaregob.

Only one cheap train, called the Orient Express, continues to run from Paris to Istanbul and Athens, and the quality of both service and catering is far from what it was before World War II.

On May 19, 1977, the last Orient Express departed Gare de Lyon in Paris. Many people thought this was the end of this legendary train, but in fact the original Orient Express still runs between Paris, Vienna and Budapest.

After 1995, this train became part of the European night train network, but it used more modern and civilian ordinary sleeper compartments. In 2001, the trip was shortened to between Paris and Vienna, and then the destination became France and Germany. Border of Strasbourg.

Finally, in December 2009, the Orient Express under the European Night Train was permanently suspended. After 126 years of operation, the legend came to a complete end. The development of aviation and high-speed rail brought the final end to this classic express train.

According to Liang En's judgment, the trains they found were those Orient Express carriages that disappeared during World War II. What surprised them even more was that the boxes in the tunnel next to them were filled with most of the original decorations and furniture in the train carriages.

"These train carriages come from the part of the train that the Germans tried to run in the Balkans during World War II. However, after repeated attacks by Yugoslav partisans, the Germans had to abandon this plan."

During a detailed inspection the next day, they found some documents that had not been taken away. Through these documents, Liang En quickly figured out the whereabouts of these carriages.

“For a long time, the trains were kept in northern Italy. It was not until 1945, when the Germans were invaded, that these trains were transferred to Austria, which became the mainland due to the Anschluss, and then prepared to be converted into troop carriers.

"You also know how badly the Germans did their general mobilization during World War II. Especially at the end of World War II, the chaos in various regions coupled with large-scale strategic bombing caused chaos throughout Germany and the occupied areas."

"In this case, the other party naturally focused on repairing truck carriages that were low-cost and quick-resulting, while leaving the complex modification work of passenger carriages to a later date. As a result, the work was not completed until the defeat."

"Fortunately, although the modifications were not completed, some parts were modified, such as emptying and packing the contents of the carriage, and painting the carriage with a layer of gray military paint. As a result, we accidentally avoided the group of American soldiers behind. Watch."

Many movies and TV series have shown how American soldiers obtain trophies. If they knew this was the Orient Express, they would definitely find a way to take something as a souvenir.

The half-modified Orient Express looked little different from an ordinary train, so it was accidentally let go and sealed in this tunnel until it was discovered by Liang En and the others today.

"So we are indeed lucky this time. Although we were not able to find the legendary golden train, finding a relatively complete Orient Express carriage is not a wasted trip." Fan Meng nodded. "But do you have any idea what to do with these carriages next?"

"I think I already know who needs this." Liang En showed a confident smile. "All I have to do is make a phone call and everything will be taken care of."