2024-09-06 21:33:42
The Ribeirão Preto Commercial Association (Acirp) is celebrating 120 years of activities and, to mark the date, it presented a commemorative plaque to each of its 20 oldest members. One of them is Frateschi Trens Elétricos, a member since 1964. The evening of tributes took place in August, at the Multiplan Hall of RibeirãoShopping, and brought together businessmen, industrialists, politicians, journalists, among other professionals.
The company’s director, Lucas Frateschi, received the plaque from the president of Acirp, Sandra Brandani Picinato. “After 57 years since its founding, Frateschi continues to be the only company to manufacture miniature electric trains on an industrial scale in Latin America. A fine toy unknown to the general public, but captivating to those who are carried away by the infinite possibilities that modeling offers. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of my grandfather Galileu and the persistence and resilience of my father, Celso, crises have been overcome, challenges have been overcome, and an extensive line of products for Brazil and abroad is now available. Generations have been and continue to be impacted by Frateschi trains,” he says.
Manufacturer of miniature electric trains and replicas of real trains, Frateschi Trens Elétricos was founded in 1967, in Ribeirão Preto, in the interior of São Paulo, and, throughout this time, has helped to preserve the country’s railway memory through the practice of model railroading and has shown resilience in economic crises, being one of the few companies to remain in business for so long.
Frateschi is currently run by the third generation of the family, with Lucas Frateschi, son of Celso Frateschi and grandson of Galileu Frateschi, the company’s founder, as its chief executive. “We are proud to have been in the market for over half a century, without interruption, mainly because we have created jobs and income for the population and helped to spread the name of Ribeirão Preto throughout the country and abroad,” says Lucas Frateschi.
The company is convinced that important human relationships, such as the interaction between father and son, grandfather and grandson, and friends, are strengthened in relaxed moments during model railroading, one of the oldest hobbies in the world. Its origins date back to the period when rail transportation was adopted on a massive scale. The first model trains were manufactured around 1830 by German craftsmen. Since then, a lot has changed, especially in Brazil, where passenger transportation by rail has ceased to take place, with the exception of tourist trips. Even so, some people’s passion for this hobby has intensified.
“Model railroading is a mix of entertainment, based on scale models, and art. You need to have the ability to observe to build a model, because all the work of reproducing the real world is completely handmade,” says Lucas. “People think that rail transportation is dead, but it is alive and growing. The railroad is of essential strategic value to a country like Brazil, and this growth helps to further foster the passion that many Brazilians have for trains, with many passing on the hobby of model railroading to future generations,” concludes Lucas.
Press Information
August/2024
F2 Press Office
Paul Viarti – [email protected]
Tel.: (16) 3442-7781 and (16) 98169-2932
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