diff --git a/examples/fodo.py b/examples/fodo.py
index 189dfab..223f084 100644
--- a/examples/fodo.py
+++ b/examples/fodo.py
@@ -41,13 +41,14 @@ def main():
     )
     # Create line with all elements
     line = BeamLine(
+        name="fodo_cell",
         line=[
             drift1,
             quad1,
             drift2,
             quad2,
             drift3,
-        ]
+        ],
     )
     # Serialize to YAML
     yaml_data = yaml.dump(line.model_dump(), default_flow_style=False)
diff --git a/src/pals_schema/BaseElement.py b/src/pals_schema/BaseElement.py
index 9b361b2..577e619 100644
--- a/src/pals_schema/BaseElement.py
+++ b/src/pals_schema/BaseElement.py
@@ -21,5 +21,8 @@ def model_dump(self, *args, **kwargs):
         name = elem_dict.pop("name", None)
         if name is None:
             raise ValueError("Element missing 'name' attribute")
-        data = [{name: elem_dict}]
+        # Return a dict {name: properties} rather than a single-item list
+        # This makes the serialized form a plain dict so it can be passed to
+        # constructors using keyword expansion (e.g., Model(**data))
+        data = {name: elem_dict}
         return data
diff --git a/src/pals_schema/BeamLine.py b/src/pals_schema/BeamLine.py
index e32b125..29f035a 100644
--- a/src/pals_schema/BeamLine.py
+++ b/src/pals_schema/BeamLine.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field, field_validator
+from pydantic import ConfigDict, Field, model_validator
 from typing import Annotated, List, Literal, Union
 
 from pals_schema.BaseElement import BaseElement
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 from pals_schema.QuadrupoleElement import QuadrupoleElement
 
 
-class BeamLine(BaseModel):
+class BeamLine(BaseElement):
     """A line of elements and/or other lines"""
 
     # Validate every time a new value is assigned to an attribute,
@@ -29,55 +29,65 @@ class BeamLine(BaseModel):
         ]
     ]
 
-    @field_validator("line", mode="before")
+    @model_validator(mode="before")
     @classmethod
-    def parse_list_of_dicts(cls, value):
-        """This method inserts the key of the one-key dictionary into
-        the name attribute of the elements"""
-        if not isinstance(value, list):
-            raise TypeError("line must be a list")
-
-        if value and isinstance(value[0], BaseModel):
-            # Already a list of models; nothing to do
-            return value
-
-        # we expect a list of dicts or strings
-        elements = []
-        for item_dict in value:
-            # an element is either a reference string to another element or a dict
-            if isinstance(item_dict, str):
+    def unpack_yaml_structure(cls, data):
+        # Handle the top-level one-key dict: unpack the line's name
+        if isinstance(data, dict) and len(data) == 1:
+            name, value = list(data.items())[0]
+            if not isinstance(value, dict):
+                raise TypeError(
+                    f"Value for line key {name!r} must be a dict, but we got {value!r}"
+                )
+            value["name"] = name
+            data = value
+        # Handle the 'line' field: unpack each element's name
+        if "line" not in data:
+            raise ValueError("'line' field is missing")
+        if not isinstance(data["line"], list):
+            raise TypeError("'line' must be a list")
+        new_line = []
+        # Loop over all elements in the line
+        for item in data["line"]:
+            # An element can be a string that refers to another element
+            if isinstance(item, str):
                 raise RuntimeError("Reference/alias elements not yet implemented")
-
-            elif isinstance(item_dict, dict):
-                if not (isinstance(item_dict, dict) and len(item_dict) == 1):
+            # An element can be a dict
+            elif isinstance(item, dict):
+                if not (len(item) == 1):
                     raise ValueError(
-                        f"Each line element must be a dict with exactly one key, the name of the element, but we got: {item_dict!r}"
+                        f"Each element must be a dict with exactly one key (the element's name), but we got {item!r}"
                     )
-                [(name, fields)] = item_dict.items()
-
+                name, fields = list(item.items())[0]
                 if not isinstance(fields, dict):
-                    raise ValueError(
-                        f"Value for element key '{name}' must be a dict (got {fields!r})"
+                    raise TypeError(
+                        f"Value for element key {name!r} must be a dict (the element's properties), but we got {fields!r}"
                     )
-
-            # Insert the name into the fields dict
-            fields["name"] = name
-            elements.append(fields)
-        return elements
+                fields["name"] = name
+                new_line.append(fields)
+            # An element can be an instance of an existing model
+            elif isinstance(item, BaseElement):
+                # Nothing to do, keep the element as is
+                new_line.append(item)
+            else:
+                raise TypeError(
+                    f"Value for element key {name!r} must be a reference string or a dict, but we got {item!r}"
+                )
+        data["line"] = new_line
+        return data
 
     def model_dump(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """This makes sure the element name property is moved out and up to a one-key dictionary"""
-        # Use default dump for non-line fields
+        # Use base element dump first and return a dict {key: value}, where 'key'
+        # is the name of the line and 'value' is a dict with all other properties
         data = super().model_dump(*args, **kwargs)
-
-        # Reformat 'line' field as list of single-key dicts
+        # Reformat 'line' field as list of element dicts
         new_line = []
         for elem in self.line:
-            #  Use custom dump for each line element
-            elem_dict = elem.model_dump(**kwargs)[0]
+            # Use custom dump for each line element, which now returns a dict
+            elem_dict = elem.model_dump(**kwargs)
             new_line.append(elem_dict)
-
-        data["line"] = new_line
+        data[self.name]["line"] = new_line
         return data
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_schema.py b/tests/test_schema.py
index 935078f..393bf5c 100644
--- a/tests/test_schema.py
+++ b/tests/test_schema.py
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def test_QuadrupoleElement():
 def test_BeamLine():
     # Create first line with one base element
     element1 = BaseElement(name="element1")
-    line1 = BeamLine(line=[element1])
+    line1 = BeamLine(name="line1", line=[element1])
     assert line1.line == [element1]
     # Extend first line with one thick element
     element2 = ThickElement(name="element2", length=2.0)
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def test_BeamLine():
     assert line1.line == [element1, element2]
     # Create second line with one drift element
     element3 = DriftElement(name="element3", length=3.0)
-    line2 = BeamLine(line=[element3])
+    line2 = BeamLine(name="line2", line=[element3])
     # Extend first line with second line
     line1.line.extend(line2.line)
     assert line1.line == [element1, element2, element3]
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ def test_yaml():
     # Create one thick element
     element2 = ThickElement(name="element2", length=2.0)
     # Create line with both elements
-    line = BeamLine(line=[element1, element2])
+    line = BeamLine(name="line", line=[element1, element2])
     # Serialize the BeamLine object to YAML
     yaml_data = yaml.dump(line.model_dump(), default_flow_style=False)
     print(f"\n{yaml_data}")
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ def test_json():
     # Create one thick element
     element2 = ThickElement(name="element2", length=2.0)
     # Create line with both elements
-    line = BeamLine(line=[element1, element2])
+    line = BeamLine(name="line", line=[element1, element2])
     # Serialize the BeamLine object to JSON
     json_data = json.dumps(line.model_dump(), sort_keys=True, indent=2)
     print(f"\n{json_data}")