Montreal landmarks on a smaller scale

Montrealer Alex Montagano, is using his love of model trains and his passion for the city of Montreal to pay tribute to its many local landmarks, but on a miniature scale.

Alex Montagano poses in front of his miniature model of Montreal landmarks (Photo credit: Martin Daigle)

“A lot of work, but very proud of it,” expresses Montagano, as he showcased how the miniature model works, everything connected, with trains passing through. “I chose those buildings which are very identifiable because I wanted people to come and see the layout and be able to relate to it on a personal level,” Montagano said.

The model, inspired by the Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce area, was an artistic exercise in a way for Montagano, one that saw him exploring architectural buildings and the architectural history of the city of Montreal.

More than that, one of the driving factors for him to start the project, was the desire to pay tribute to his grandfathers, Giuseppe Montagano and Jean Guy Lapierre, both of whom worked at the LaSalle Coke Crane Facility on the Lachine Canal.

“The whole maquette started from this space,” he says speaking about the Coke Crane Facility, “it was the inspiration and everything kind of fed from it. The canal, the boats, the swing bridge.”

Another driving factor for Montagano, starting a conversation with all Montrealers about the needs of the community and the direction they want to move in, the model fitted with a protest and orange cones around it.

“It’s an easy way for people to digest topics, community based issues, political issues, and have a conversation with them in a kind of fun way, so this was one of the aims of the layout to help engage the community in conversation about our needs,” Montagano says.

Alex Montagano holding a piece of his miniature model of Montreal landmarks (Photo credit: Martin Daigle)

The response has been just that, Montagano expresses. For the future, Montagano says he will be adding a few details here and there to the existing model, but what those would are, are a secret for now.

“I like to keep people guessing what the next element will be,” he laughs,“ I do have some ideas, ideas to help the community dream, dream for bigger things for ourselves.”

All with one main goal, “it is a vehicle to get people to think about the community, the things that we need as a group and get people talking in a fun way,” he says.