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Work in the concrete continues, I seem to be quite fussy about this, but it is a large part of the layout and I want it to look good.
![[Image: 20130325_112303_zps7eb29ca8.jpg]](http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb161/jhockuk/20130325_112303_zps7eb29ca8.jpg)
I have washed the concrete to give it a an older look and added more expansion joints as they where to far part before. The front of the layout will be getting an edge added which will tidy it up.
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jhock Wrote:Some on another forum has the raised the point that most yards in the present day are asphalt and not concrete, can any other any insight to if this the case?
It would not be a huge issue to repaint with the asphalt top coat if that was the case.
Jhock,
Since no one answered your question, maybe I can. Asphalt is cheaper to apply than concrete. The down side is that it doesn't last as long and will not tolerate extreme heat and cold fluctuations. If the ground is frozen below the asphalt, the asphalt will be subject to buckeling during periods of re-freezing and re-thawing (i.e. pot hole formation). The other issue you have in high temperature climates is that the asphalt gets so hot that the front trailer pads on semi trailers will sink into hot asphalt. We had this problem where I worked. The solution for us was to add a four to five foot channel of concrete for just the trailer pads to rest. It should be noted that we were parking anywhere from 40-50 semi trailers at any given time and the channel ran several hundred yards in various directions. The remained of the trailer (back tires forward to the trailer pads) sat on asphalt.
Larry
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in the northeast of the US, asphalt is used to cover concrete paving because plow blades can destroy concrete during winter months. Unfortunately, since it's cheaper than concrete, it's used to also fill in potholes.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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Mike Kieran Wrote:in the northeast of the US, asphalt is used to cover concrete paving because plow blades can destroy concrete during winter months. Unfortunately, since it's cheaper than concrete, it's used to also fill in potholes.
We fill pot holes in concrete with asphalt also. (Traverse City, MI)
Larry
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Thank you for the replys guys, really in 2 minds now.
I was speaking to someone who had worked n the states for while and he said that everything was concrete, he was in Wisconsin.
I would have thought in a yard they might use concrete as winter weather would wreck asphalt?
I could still repaint if I need to.
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If this helps any where i work they had replaced parts of asphalt with concrete where our trucks are loaded and unloaded. (Upstate New York)
Harry Check out my blog at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://newyorkontariowestern.blogspot.com/">http://newyorkontariowestern.blogspot.com/</a><!-- m -->
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jhock Wrote:really in 2 minds now.
Whenever I find myself in that position I turn to Bing or Google Earth, search the approximate area you are modelling. I'll bet you find a mix of concrete and asphalt, but there might be a predominance of one or the other.
Or, just go with which looks more pleasing to your eye within the scene you are trying to create, asphalt might make the scene look to dark for example.
Cheers,
Kev
Such is life
