Thalys

This is a model of the Thalys TGV PBA (Thalys). The Thalys is a high speed train in Western Europe, driving in France, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. The first Thalys drove between Amsterdam and Brussels in 1996 and the train has been connecting cities in Western Europe ever since. This is a model of the original version, the PBA, which only drove in France, The Netherlands and Belgium.

The model has almost 3000 bricks and is designed in minifigure scale. The cockpit has room for one machinist, and the passenger compartment can carry 20 passengers. The train is made in the iconic dark red colour of the real trains, and both compartments have doors that can open to let the minifigures in. The train is 10 studs wide which is the same width as the large Hogwarts Express model, but has wheels that fit on regular rails, so no custom rails are needed.

I was inspired to make this model by the Hogwarts Express set as well as the Concorde set. The Concorde is one of the greatest marvels of European engineering, and so is the Thalys. That is why I think the Thalys deserves to be turned into an official LEGO set. I therefore hope that this submission gets to 10,000 votes.