Arthur Mettetal, a French railway enthusiast, was looking at a YouTube video when he noticed some parked train carriages.
The cars were painted in a night-blue color that was once associated with the Orient Express (a famous long-distance transatlantic passenger train) and is synonymous with 20th-century travel glamor.
The train that Agatha Christie immortalized no longer exists. However, Belmond, a luxury travel company, operates the Orient Express homage between London & Amsterdam. Accor, a hotel group, is launching an Italy-based service in 2023.
Mettetal was not just a rail fan. He was also working on a PhD about the history of Orient Express. Mettetal’s research focused on determining how many original Orient Express train carriages are still available today, their location, who they belonged to, and in what condition.
He knew that some antique carriages were still in use, such as those used on the Belmond Orient Express route. Others were displayed in museums. He realized that many of these cars had been forgotten and were scattered around the world.
Mettetal spent the majority of 2015 looking for abandoned carriages. He scrolled through archives, talked to railway enthusiasts on message boards, and comb through online videos. He would occasionally spot a promising clue, such as the blue carriages seen in the YouTube video.
Mettetal paused the video and inspected each frame more closely. The video was uploaded anonymously, and there was no accompanying information. It was only possible to see the name of the station in the screenshot: Malaszewicze.
Mettetal discovered that there were many places in Poland called Malaszewicze through Google. Mettetal looked up each spot on Google Maps and switched to 3D view. He zoomed in, looking for the blue carriages with white roofs.
Bingo! He found the train he was searching for. It had 13 carriages and was parked at Malaszewicze Station on the border of Poland and Belarus.
Mettetal spoke to CNN Travel today and said that this was a magical moment.
“Thirteen cars in one!” He exclaims. It’s like finding a treasure.”
Finding the train
Mettetal was overwhelmed by the sight of the train on Google. He tried to control his expectations. Uncertain why they were there, in what condition they might have been, or if they had been moved since the satellite image was taken.
He went to Malaszewicze, to see them in person.
Mettetal said that he will never forget the moment he arrived in Poland with a friend and photographer.
Mettetal says, “After driving hours to get to the spot where we thought we’d find the train,”
It was dark and the snow covered the entire landscape. The two men were able to see the blue carriages. On their sides was “Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express,” a name for a private railway venture founded in 1970 that used original Orient Express cars. It transported passengers from Paris to Istanbul. Mettetal and his friend were thrilled.
It is an indescribable sensation. Mettetal recalls that we were looking at the object in our research, the train that we had seen through Google 3D views.”
Mettetal and the photographer were caught in a border area. Police quickly told them to get out. They returned to their destination at dawn the next day, accompanied by a translator, Guillaume de Saint Lager (vice president of Accor’s Orient Express offshoot), who was also interested inspecting the train.
The group circled the carriages as the sun rose. Mettetal said they were from the 1920s and 30s, and had been there dormant for at least a decade.
Mettetal said that peering into the carriages was another “great moment” for historians.
He said that all the decorations were intact, and it was almost as if time stood still.”
Nine of the 13 carriages were luxury sleeping cars.
Mettetal says, “We spent two days documenting the interiors and exteriors of these cars as well as continuing our research into their history to discover why they were there.”
Renovation and restoration
Over the next two decades, Accor’s Orient Express crew tracked down the owner and operator of the Malaszewicze carriages. Four additional carriages were also discovered in foreign countries, including Germany as well as Switzerland. Accor negotiated a deal to purchase 17 cars, which included 12 sleeper cars and three lounges, as well as one van. The carriages were then taken by police to France.
Today, Accor’s Orient Express group is making big plans for the rediscovered carriages. The cars will be operating on a Paris-to Istanbul route starting in 2024. This is a reimagined version the Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express.
Maxime d’Angeac of Paris is currently renovating the carriages. He tells CNN Travel that this was a unique opportunity that “you can’t refuse.”
The carriage’s interior features Art Deco marquetry panels from Morrison and Nelson in England, as well as panels made of glass by Rene Lalique in France. d’Angeac says he felt real emotion when he first saw the interiors.
D’Angeac recognizes that the original Orient Express was a symbol of luxury, comfort, and design. D’Angeac wants the restored carriages to live up that reputation.
He says, “Accor’s ambition is to restore and rebuild the same mythology, of legend and have an extraordinary train.”
It’s not easy to renovate century-old carriages, says d’Angeac. The interiors are smaller than modern travelers might expect. While historic assets must be protected, modern comforts and security should be included.
While new technology and methods may be employed where necessary, d’Angeac hopes that travelers won’t notice this 21st-century touch.
D’Angeac says, “Our intervention should not be permanent.”
Mettetal has finished his PhD but is still fascinated by the Orient Express and the carriages he found on YouTube. Mettetal is also the Orient Express heritage director at Accor.
Mettetal says that these cars have a rich past, starting with their construction in 1920s and ending with their rediscovery in 2009. It would be fascinating to trace their entire journey, including the countries and cities they visited over all of these years.
Top photo credit to Xavier Antoinet
