Caution: road work ahead S
ometimes it seems that you can’t go more than a few miles in your car before seeing those bright orange barrels or traffic cones that can only mean one thing: road work. With millions of cars and trucks traveling our streets and highways, it no wonder that they are in constant
need of repair. Of course, it’s not always the traffic that is the cause of the trouble. Problems with buried utility lines, broken water mains, storm drains or, if you’re in a really big city, even subway lines, can lead to streets having to be torn up while the problems are addressed. No matter what the cause, the final step in the street repair involves laying a new coat of asphalt. Look around and you’ll find asphalt all over this country. It’s used on roads, roofs, sealing wa- ter pipes, sports tracks, playgrounds, you name it. It can also be found at airports, seaports and, yes, train stations and rail yards. In other words, almost everywhere. Today, asphalt is as com- mon as cell phones, digital cameras, and obnoxious cold-callers that always seem to catch you right at dinner.
Commercial use for asphalt as we know it goes back to the 19th century, and today, the National Asphalt Paving Association says that 94 percent of all U.S. roads are paved with it. That’s impres- sive. And something popular in real life becomes something you might want to consider for your model railroad, not just already in service but being laid down. Asphalt is a natural material that is a part of the planets’ makeup. It is also manmade in tens of thousands of plants worldwide. It can be reclaimed and reused. It can be used as a bed liner for landfills and reservoirs. And, on an excruciatingly hot day, it can be very sticky. Modern uses for asphalt really picked up during World War II and continued steamrollering (I had to throw in that line) in the post-war era when large numbers of new roads needed paving. As the increase in volume continued, heavier and more sophisticated equipment was brought into the market, as well. What was once a job for a small group of men became big business. There are several manufacturers of “model” asphalt and a number of ways to create a miniature of the gooey stuff with paint. As far as equipment is concerned, there are many models of dump trucks and rollers–both steam and new diesel models. Then there are the other accoutrements that you can probably find in a number of model catalogs: people in overalls, rakes, shovels, wheel- barrows, emergency lights, safety cones, signs, trash cans, and sawhorses to block drivers from plowing through and ultimately sinking in the still setting asphalt. Go crazy and create a night scene with a generator and portable lights, or if you’re putting to- gether a period piece, large torches. The nice thing about an asphalt laying scene is you can put it anywhere … on a residential side street, a main street or at a grade crossing. You can also have a fleet of asphalt-hauling trucks moving the stuff through town to the work site. Another touch would be to finish up paving in one area, leaving the blacker new asphalt to com-
pare to the older stuff, and have your crew move on to another part of the layout. When the paving crew gets to the grade crossing that needs to be taken care, not only do signs need to be in place for pedestrians, but trains using the line may have to be issued slow orders. Paving crews will also have to fix pot holes and cracks where your railroad has street running. An entire little scene can be assembled with the sometimes comical two guys working and six guys standing around, leaning on their shovels and watching, scenario. Carry this to another plane and you can include a food truck or one of those portable hot dog
carts–in New York it could be a sidewalk pretzel vendor. To keep the curious from getting too close, a little rope and yellow tape will do the trick. If you’re generous, put together a temporary viewing stand for all those sidewalk superintendents. Now, if you’re really into paving, it doesn’t have to end with asphalt. You can also have crews put- ting in concrete curbs, filling a hole with gravel, boarding up a hole with plywood, and otherwise seemingly making a nuisance of themselves with motorists and pedestrians alike.
DAVID LUSTIG
photography/DAVID LUSTIG and CHRIS D’AMATO 40 SEPTEMBER 2013
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