Industrial equipment - Railway switch - Italy - Railway Switchboard

Industrial railway equipment from the early 1900s, from Italy, province of Cuneo, of the famous Ceva-Ormea railway line in the Tanaro valley. Analyzing the logistical details readable on the labels ("Bagnasco", "Trappa", "M 13-14", "KM 25-34" Ormea etc), I find full confirmation of the attribution of this splendid switchboard: it is effectively a magnetic railway telephone exchange, originally in service along the historic Ceva-Ormea Railway, located in the Upper Val Tanaro in the province of Cuneo. The labels clearly refer to the stations and interlockings of the railway line: Bagnasco: Official station of the Ceva-Ormea line. Trappa: Another historic stop and hamlet of the municipality of Garessio, situated on the same line. KM 25-34 / M 13-14: Kilometric indications and the interchange blocks or intermediate interlockings of the railway. The switchboards of this type (also known as switching tables for exclusive station service) were used by the station master or the block operator to coordinate train traffic, handle faults, or quickly communicate with the signal guards placed along the tracks. Two of the 24 switchboards can be extracted and have been photographed; one at the top left is blocked; all the others, when turning the two bakelite-knob levers, rotate through the complex internal mechanism until returning to the original starting position. Three are missing and can be opened, revealing that inside each station or kilometer there is its own complex internal mechanism; in total there are 21. The structure is very sound and shows no major aesthetic defects, only those compatible with age and use as well as material. It will be packed carefully and shipped via tracked post. I do not ship outside the EU. Observe the photos, they are part of the description.