Espanola paper mill gets miniature tribute from modeler

The legacy of an idled paper mill in northern Ontario is continuing in a very small way, thanks to a multi-year effort by a nearby model-builder.

For more than a century, the town of Espanola, Ont., west of Sudbury, has been home to a pulp and paper mill, a key part of the local economy. Its last owner, Domtar, idled the mill in November 2023, and it has since been purchased by BMI Group, which is developing its plans for the site.

Dave Howie of McKerrow, Ont., has built a miniature version of the mill as part of his basement model railway layout. It’s built in N-scale, or 1/160th of life size. He has taken some liberties with the layout of the grounds, to better fit it into his home, but it features all of the major buildings in the plant — complete with several stacks that emit simulated smoke.

“Usually, I’m down here doing things about four or five hours a day, working on it,” said Howie.

He began his model railway project five years ago, and has been working on the Espanola mill for two years. He estimates the whole project has cost him thousands of dollars, but he has reduced costs by scratch-building many of the structures in the setup.

“I just used Google Earth to find general dimensions, and then I used some poetic license to build the structures. But it is fairly faithful,” said Howie.

Lynn O’Farrell says she supports her husband’s work, which helps to give him a creative outlet since he retired from an education career.

“I’m so proud of him. He has put, I don’t know, tens of thousands of hours. It’s really a labour of love,” she said.

Howie has a fine arts degree in printmaking, but says learning modeling has been an education of itself. The 72-year-old now produces videos for his YouTube channel, McKerrow Siding, where he discusses his approach and helps others find lower-cost solutions to building model railways.