The live steam hobby, regardless of your scale preference, has it's own language that easily crosses international boundaries. I have been fortunate that in my line of work I have been able to travel to many countries to work and play with others who share the same interest in the hobby of live steam locomotives. When Dr. Guido Mattolli of the Associazione Modellisti Foligno Citta' Ferroviaria (Association of Railroad Modelers of Foligno City), a live steam organization in central Italy, announced their annual September steam-up within the pages of "Steam in the Garden" magazine I thought ,"what a great vacation that would be!" I personally have a special attraction to Italy having spent four years there when I was in the Navy; and having met and married there as well. The thought of going back to visit friends I haven't seen for ten years, and also to play with trains would be fantastic. But dream on I thought!! Well, as luck would have it, my new job required that I would have to be in Italy at just the precise moment in time when this years steam-up would take place. (Honestly, I didn't smooth talk anyone!!) After a quick fax to Dr. Mattoli for more information, I packed up for work and threw my little Berkeley Locomotive Works "Cricket" into a foam lined box and headed for the airport. For anyone who wants to combine the hobby with a vacation, Valtopina is definitely the place to do it.

The countryside in the Umbria region of Italy is fantastic. September is also the perfect time of year to go to Europe; both weather and tourist wise. I was only able to attend of the three days that the steam-up was in progress since I did have to do some work. But what a day that was!! The steam-up attracts visitors and participants from all over the world. Live steamers in both the Gauge-1 and 5" flavor attended from Spain, France, England, and Italy, and then there was this one American wandering around. Fortunately my "survival" Italian that I had learned 10 years earlier had started to return and I felt comfortable enough to converse in the native tongue. This is not a necessity by any means as the primary participants all spoke English as well, but it was fun to try to improve upon what I had attempted to learn years earlier, and to learn the proper terms in Italian for a locomotive as well.

The Foligno Live Steamers (my nickname translation of the "Association of Railroad Modelers of Foligno City" that graces their brochure) operate in Gauge-1 and 5" gauge. Their site is located along the slope of a steep mountain. At track elevation you are presented with a magnificent view of the Italian countryside. Their gauge-1 track is elevated on cinder block pillars in a wide oval measuring approximately 20 feet in width by about 45 feet in length. The dual mainline is at a comfortable height for operation, and at the back side of the oval, the proximity of the sloping countryside to the track creates a perfect background for a garden railway feeling. With the exception of my American "Cricket", the primary manufacturer represented for gauge-1 was ASTER. While European prototype was logically in abundance, one of my new friends is an aficionado of American steam and operated a C&S Mogul.

Lineup of Aster Gauge-1 waiting to move on the mainline.

The 5" gauge track line is strictly a point-to-point operation due to the requirement to terrace the country side to create a right-of-way. At each end of the mainline are turntables and passing sidings to allow for turning locomotives and recoupling passenger cars. The track site is expertly maintained and includes signaling devices as well as a beautiful engine house and steaming bays. Visitors lined the trackside continually through the day patiently awaiting the arrival of each train for a ride along the edge of the valley. The activities at the steam-up also included a dealer area with books on Italian Railways and HO scale dealers with both European and American prototype for sale. Of course no steam-up would be complete without an abundance of beverages and food available, and the local specialties are Italian treats that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Aster Beyer-Garrett puts on a show in the Italian Countryside

If you have ever dreamed of a European vacation and wanted to include this hobby as part of your plans, then set your sights on the hills surrounding Valtopina, Italia in September of 1996. It's a beautiful setting with wonderful hospitality, and everyone speaks the language of live steam!!