253 - Märklin two CIWL Pullman cars in blue and cream, no. 349, gauge 00 (H0), 1938–1939

Märklin two CIWL Pullman cars in blue and cream, no. 349, gauge 00 (H0), 1938–1939 Two Pullman cars of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) of the Märklin brand in gauge 00 (H0). Version in blue and cream with the lettering 'Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express Européens', 'Pullman' and the number 349. Version of 1938–1939 with claw couplings. Lithographed tinplate construction. Played-with condition. The absence of smaller, delicate add-on parts cannot be entirely ruled out. The track section shown serves only for presentation. The Belgian Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits provided the famous Pullman and luxury cars of the great European long-distance trains. Märklin introduced the Pullman car 349 in 1937 in ivory and dark turquoise and supplied it from 1938 to 1939 in ivory and ultramarine blue; this second version is present here twice (Koll's Kompaktkatalog Märklin 00/H0, 1983, no. 349, variant 2). For the British market the Pullman car 349 E with the lettering 'LNER' was made alongside. The blue-and-cream Pullman cars are among the classic motifs of the Märklin tinplate railway in gauge 00 (H0) and are sought after by collectors of early passenger coaches. Both cars have been recorded in the consignor's collection index since 1982.