Tiny train models, vintage items on display at the Montreal Model Train Exhibition this weekend

Tiny train models and vintage items are on display at the Montreal Train Exhibition this weekend.

Hundreds of vintage railway items, many of which visitors are allowed to operate, will be on display at the 36th edition of the Montreal Model Train Exposition this weekend.

Since 1989, Ivan Dow has been organizing this model train expo, featuring many of his own collections.

“There’s 240 tables of different things to look at and people selling things and modelers and all sorts of fun stuff going on,” he says.

For example, families can try operating a vintage train set, says Dow.

“We have ones that they can drive the trains. We have ones on the floor. We have ones a little bit higher up in the air,” he says.

Visitors can also marvel at Christian Desrosier’s tiny recreation of the West Island train line extending into Hudson, complete with a diorama of Sandy Beach and Jack Layton Park.

Hobbyist Georges Barre helped create this train-scape using photographs and satellite views to get the details right.

“The exciting thing with this hobbyist, you can use your imagination and bring your spirit to the layout,” he says.

He also says visitors should be on the constant look-out for jokes tucked into the scenes, like tiny people on the roof of a brasserie.

“The staff are up there with the cases of beer, and the firemen are trying to get them down. They’re not coming down,” jokes Barre.

A handmade train set by CEGEP Gerald-Godin student Marc Provost has working signal lights. He explains how he became a model train enthusiast.

“When I was a kid, I lived right next to the railroad in the area. And then when I moved to Pointe-Claire, right next to the train line,” he says.

And this expo has much more than trains. Look for miniature villages, tiny boats and full-size Meccano sets.

“Meccano is alive and well in Canada, mostly in Ontario, and there’s several exhibitions in Ontario where mcanulty is shown, and that’s where some pretty good model makers are. We have some good ones in Montreal too,” says collector Jim Bobyn.

This year’s show is a fundraiser for Sun Youth, the non-profit organization offering services from food assistance to emergency care. Proceeds from this weekend will go towards day camp and youth activities.

“It really goes to our kids, our youth programs. So all sports activities, we make sure the kids can have access to activities regardless of their family revenue,” Ann St-Arnaud of Sun Youth explains.

Tickets cost $10 for children and $15 for adults. The model train expo is open June 7 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Edgar Rouleau Arena in Dorval.