Tribute to Celso Frateschi
When my father closed his eyes toward eternity on 25.02.24, at the age of 81, he ended a journey of integral dedication to Frateschi and to model railroading. More than that, everything this man dedicated himself to was done with perfection in the various fronts he took throughout his life — whether as an aeromodeler in the 50s-60s, a model railroader, an entrepreneur, a vintage-car enthusiast, or a mechanical engineering professor. Extremely dedicated to everything he did and with above-average intelligence, his contribution and reach remain alive.
Everything that has been done and accomplished in this factory had his participation; together with my grandfather, he built Frateschi from scratch. He used to tell me that “at Frateschi I did everything — design, turn wheels, stamp parts, inject wagons, wind motors, assemble wagons, test locomotives, etc.” From a small initiative in 1967, when Frateschi still operated in my grandfather's home, the company grew and expanded its product range, advancing within its limits and the borders imposed by the Brazilian context. I remember, when I was still small, the many difficulties my father faced. One of them in 1984, when my grandfather passed away, my father found himself alone and without administrative knowledge. He, a mechanical engineer by training, adapted and pressed on. In the 90s, with the arrival of various economic plans (Collor and Real), many companies had their operations closed. Frateschi faced countless difficulties and, with a spirit of resilience and persistence, stayed standing.
My father had as a life philosophy that this “fine toy”, the miniature train, should be accessible to everyone, and he dedicated himself to that. He made products that evolved in quality over time, without letting greed bother him or impose too high a price, so that a family man could offer this fun to himself or his children.
Impact products like the V8, launched in 2004, were a milestone in Frateschi's development and represented an enormous challenge and great advance due to the difficulty of design and engineering. With eternal grandeur, the V8 in its Cia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro, RFFSA and Fepasa paints is, even today, an essential item in any layout.
Always willing to expand and promote model railroading at the Brazilian level, my father created in 1979 the “Informativos Frateschi”, in which he typed all editions. We printed these small booklets and mailed them. This publication was later replaced by the “Revista Brasileira de Ferreomodelismo”. He and Frateschi were pioneers in creating informative content within model railroading for train lovers. In 1997, to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary, he started the “Frateschi Meetings”, where people from all over Brazil gathered to see launch possibilities, meet friends, exchange ideas and learning, and have quality time. It was an occasion to promote model railroading and the company — a pioneering initiative whose scope inspired so many other events that exist today nationally.
Within the company, he had a democratic style of dealing with sector problems and chose to listen to all involved before making any decision. He believed time would create situations that would favor the best path. It is important to note that while many fathers and sons, finding themselves in the same workplace, foolishly seek to measure strength and generate unnecessary and sometimes disastrous competition, this never happened here. Work disagreements could never cause family estrangement. With patience and wisdom, he knew, in his time and his way, to give space to the one who writes to you, allowing the company to absorb a new command style that was not his — because he understood the finitude of life. He once said he would “hit the end of some line”.
As a mechanical engineering professor, his other passion, he left his legacy of knowledge and teaching style and was honored several times at Unip in Ribeirão Preto, where he taught for 20 years, as “paraninfo” (commencement honoree) and “class namesake”. He was considered by many, until his departure in 2021, the best professor in that field at the university. With a soft voice and quiet manner, he had a peace-making lifestyle that avoided conflicts. I used to say he was the wall itself and didn't take sides. He let time act without rushing it. Still, when life struck, he struck back. Beloved everywhere he went, he fulfilled his mission. His example, his altruistic and gentle personality, his lifestyle that goes beyond the company, are reasons for pride and celebration. The product of a strain that no longer exists.
written by Lucas Frateschi, son of Celso Frateschi
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