# Blacktop Patch Roadbed ??



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

*Has anyone experimented with using Blacktop for roadbed? *

* I started using QUIKRETE® Blacktop Patch (No. 1701) for my highways last year. After all of our Northern Ohio ice, snow and freezing weather, I was expecting to find some heaving and or cracks once I could once again see the ground. Well I just went out and inspected the roads. I was surprised, but happy that there was no problems of any kind. I was a bit concerned what I would find because the package indicate it should be put down no more than an inch thick. Well of course I took note, but promptly ignored the instructions. I've usually waited till the project was finished before reading those pesky notes anyway. My application probably was closer to 2 inches and sometimes 3 or 4 in some places. *

* Well the inspection showed that it was almost like the day I put it down last summer.* 
*Anyway, that got me thinking about a couple of places that it might work for roadbed. So before I go off the deep end, I thought I would check to see if others have tried using it for theirs.
*


Thanks,
Mark

*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


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## chaingun (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi Mark, 
Never even thought about using that stuff. I think I will give it a try in my rail yard area ( once I get to laying it). Anyway I always felt those instructions were more like suggestions and have never felt the slightest urge to muddy my thought process with any facts. 
Best, Ted


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Mark; 

One of the garden layouts on the 1997 DC area National Convention tour was using what its owner called "bagged asphalt" for roadbed. It was probably similar to the product you used. He claimed that it worked very well and was low maintenance. Right now I can't think of the man's name or the railroad's name. The video tour is on VHS, but I will try to look at it sometime soon and report back to you on this thread. 

Yours, 
David Meashey


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

I used to work for a company that made the stuff. The 1" max is not right. I recommended to my customers a 1" min and max of 3". The thicker the matt, the better it will stay together, to a certain thickness. 

Here are the advantages as I see it: 
- The material retains a certain amount of flexability. Thus, you dont need to reinforce it with rebar like you do concrete. 
- You dont need to use forms. 

However, I can see disadvantages: 
- The matt can dry out and start to breakdown on the top. You will have to rejuvinate it after a period of time with something like an asphalt sealer. 
- Because the matt is flexable it will less resistant to heave. Concrete will resist heave better because it is more rigid. 
- Trying to lay the matt down in a uniform smooth surface is going to be a challenge. If you look at most asphalt roads they are not all that smooth and they are using hot-mix asphalt which is much easier to lay down. 

If you going to try this you need to have a plate vibrator to pack the material down. If you just lay it down it wont adhere to itself. It must be compacted. That is where the difficulty of trying to get a consistant smooth surface.


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I'm going to try it this year and keep my fingers crossed that it holds up as good as my roads did. I'm also thinking a sealer might be needed every so often for the roads, maybe every 2 years or so, but maybe not for the RR roadbeds. I would have a layer of stone on top of the stuff, so maybe that would protect the blacktop from being broke down by UV's? At least my thinking is the blacktop breakdown is partly due to UV. 

Sounds like a fun project.

Mark


*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

What are you going to use for Forms? Does this material have to be Tamped or Compacted in some way? Please post pictures on how you do this/ 

JJ


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

JJ,
I have not been using any kind of form for the roads. I just level out the ground a bit and then lay it down using a towel, slopping off the edges so there are no right angles. I have a couple of short ( 1 foot) peices of 2x4 wood that I then use to stamp everything down using my 230 pounds as the compacting force. I do the same for the slopping sides. I plan on doing the same thing for the roadbeds. 


The stuff stays pretty soft for several months, but then firms up nicely. 

The First picture, the stuff is probably 1-2 inches deep in most places. The second picture is maybe 4 inches thick. Both of these pictures were taken today after all the snow and ice melted. 




















Mark
http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

JJ...IMHO, this asphalt material would not do good for you where you live. During your summer in Phoenix, it would be extremely soft...soft in, if you stepped on it, you'd leave foot prints.


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