MASSA SUL CESI

The dream

In life, we all chase a dream. It's the first years of our lives that shape the deepest part of our consciousness. Some childhood experiences remain indelible in our minds, often associated with strong emotions, whether good or bad. In my case, the emotion I'm referring to is very beautiful and dates back to when I was about 4 years old.

One evening in 1968, my father Armante played with me on his electric train. The joy was immense. I still remember the details of the room: the green sofa, who was in the room, the red carpet, how the tracks were arranged on the carpet, the train moving on the tracks, my dad controlling it by adjusting the red Lima transformer. I didn't know it then, but this experience ignited a passion in me that has never died.

Since then, my father hasn't played with the train with me. We've enjoyed so many wonderful activities together, but that unique and unrepeatable emotion has created a deep root that, over the years, has given rise to an inexplicable force that has driven me to dream of creating a beautiful 1:87 scale world in which to continue playing. It's as if by realizing my imagination, I could continue to play with him, like in a long, endless dream.

This model contains the story of that dream, which, after 58 years, has taken shape and continues to be enriched with details in an endless journey, as if this dream world were to one day awaken to a life of its own.

Passion ignites

In 1972, my passion was further ignited. On Viale Europa (in Rome's EUR district), there was a huge toy and model shop that dedicated an entire window to model railways. It was there that I saw an N-scale layout full of bridges, mountains, and tunnels intertwining on multiple levels, a sight that literally fascinated me. Let's just say it helped generate in my subconscious some of the characteristic elements of what I consider the ideal layout.

Around the same time, I also had the opportunity to see Märklin trains in person for the first time. In fact, at a friend's house, his father was building a very large layout with Märklin M equipment. I remember that every time I went to visit my friend, I looked at the layout with admiration and longing, even though I knew it was an unattainable goal for me.

My first model railway layout

Massa Sul Cesi wasn't the first layout I built. I took my first steps in model railroading in 1976. At the time, I had access to the most precious resource for any modeler wanting to try their hand at building an H0 scale layout: plentiful space. In fact, I even had an entire 30-square-meter room at my disposal. However, I lacked the knowledge, the technical skills, and above all, the funds. At the time, I saw Rivarossi as a dream and Märklin as belonging to a world apart: beautiful metal trains, yet almost alien at the same time. The metal M track wasn't realistic, and the runner seemed to distort the true essence of the trains I knew.

Starting with my dad's Lima train, I began to acquire exclusively Lima track, switches, and rolling stock. The largest layout of the time was built on a single level and was laid out as a series of concentric ovals. Needless to say, the reliability of the switches and electrical contact was that of a Lima: constant derailments and profound frustration due to the lack of reliability. The golden age of my teenage passion for model railways lasted until 1982, when it was quickly supplanted by a passion for hi-fi equipment, studying, sailing, girls... real life took over.

From that moment on, the model railway was dismantled, the living room returned to being a living room, and all the Lima material was archived in a box in the attic of my parents' house, waiting for better times.

The rebirth of passion

The real turning point came in 2006 when we visited the Baumgarthner Gallery in Mendrisio in the spring.

After seeing the beautiful Märklin layouts, on our way out we noticed a small shop selling some items from the famous Göppingen manufacturer.

The fire beneath the ashes

Between 2006 and 2021, 15 years passed, during which another son joined the ranks of potential playmates. My passion for model railways continued to burn, gathering strength like an untamed fire. I expanded my inventory for building the layout: specialist literature, tracks, switches, and rolling stock accessories—all in the hope of one day having some space again to finally create a permanent layout. Now, paradoxically, the limitation had become space itself, that resource that had been abundant and underappreciated during my childhood.

It was during this period that, using Wintrack software, I defined a project every Christmas, using the floor plan of the living room or another room as the train room. Then, with my four children, we built the layout according to the plan. It was like going to a store (a closet containing all the materials), picking out the necessary materials, and assembling it faithfully according to the plan. The whole thing lasted three days at most, when my wife rightly claimed full possession of that part of the house.

From temporary layouts to the model

A major advantage of Märklin's C Track is that the switches can be digitalized with decoders underneath the track that are powered by the track's own current. This meant I didn't have to run any wires to control the switches. This undeniable advantage for temporary layouts placed on the ground later became a constraint when I built the actual layout. In fact, having invested a considerable amount in drives and decoders for C Track underneath the ballast, I couldn't/didn't want to change to installing decoders and drives separate from the track itself, which would have been more realistic and also guaranteed greater maintenance options.

The opportunity to build the first real layout worthy of the name finally arose after COVID when, in the spring of 2021, a basement became available that seemed just right for my layout.

The birth of Massa on the Cesi

The Massa sul Cesi model was designed in the spring-summer of 2021. After taking measurements of the tavern, I began to study possible solutions based on the available space. After six variations, I arrived at the version that completely satisfied me and therefore began construction in September 2021.