Montrealer creates mini model of the city, complete with orange cones
A Montreal man has combined his love of rail travel with his passion for local landmarks by create a miniature, elaborate model of his city.
Alex Montagano loved model trains as a child. He reconnected with the hobby just before the COVID-19 pandemic and has since taken it to extraordinary lengths.
"I've been working on it constantly ever since, in my free time," he told CTV News.
His project is by no means a map of Montreal -- more like a tribute, complete with recognizable landmarks like the Orange Julep, the Leonard Cohen mural and the iconic Five Roses plant.
Downtown Montreal's iconic Leonard Cohen mural is show in Alex Montagano's model of the city. (CTV News/Angela Mackenzie)
What Montagano couldn't purchase, he built.
For example, he made N.D.G's Empress Theatre with a 3-D printer, capturing the Egyptian art-deco style of the original construction.
Alex Montagano used a 3-D printer to create his model of Montreal's Empress Theatre. (CTV News/Angela Mackenzie)
"I'd visit, take photographs, do drawings, then I'd come back and say, 'how can I manifest this into a physical model that I can put on the layout," he explained.
And just like in actual Montreal, there's construction work, and even a protest.
A protest is shown in Alex Montagano's miniature model of Montreal. (CTV News/Angela Mackenzie)
And like construction work, there's always more to do.
"It's always in progress, and I never anticipate it to be finished."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.