I caught the train from Istanbul to Munich in February 1993. Big mistake. I had booked a couchette from Istanbul and when i got onto the carriage in Istanbul it looked ok. One hour into the journey, however, the train came to a halt, a guy in uniform came along and said that the couchette had broken down and I had to get into an ordinary carriage for the remainder of the journey. It was so cold that the toilet door at the end of the carriage froze shut. There was only one other toilet further up the train, which, needless to say, was always occupied. There was no restaurant car either. The train stopped in Bucharest for 4 hours but no announcements were made about duration or reason for the stoppage so I didn't risk getting off to get food. All in all the journey to Munich took 36 hours !!!. No loo, no food and freezing cold. Not the best journey I have ever undertaken !!! I am still waiting for the refund too.
WW