Micro L'Aigle – kit from LEGO® bricks

One of the fleet of passenger locomotives supplied to the Chemins de Fer by Robert Stephenson and Company was L'Aigle (the Eagle). All nine locomotives were named after birds, and these mechanical, flightless birds did indeed "fly" along the tracks at that time. Although it normally ran at 45 km/h, L'Aigle was limited to a top speed of 60 km/h due to its heavy firebox, which caused it to rock sideways at high speeds. This example of the steam locomotive, known as the 1A1 in German, ran in France as the 1-1-1 and was extremely popular. L'Aigle entered service on the Avignon-Marseille line in 1847 and was withdrawn in 1865. After a brief service as a stationary steam engine, it was restored for the 1914 International Exhibition in Lyon. In 1968, the SNCF returned it to its original 1846 condition, when it was exhibited at the Cité du Train. Unfortunately, the tender did not survive these countless configurations. However, the L'Aigle is the oldest surviving example of a long boiler locomotive from the Stephenson company.

• Number of original LEGO® bricks: 57
• Dimensions of the model: 6.5 x 3.5 x 5.5 cm