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| This hardback book is one of KHL's Classic Construction Series.
The book is written in a chronological style and starts with a brief chapter covering the period up to 1870 and it has a number of old line drawings of equipment and methods used. The early history of asphalt as a material is mentioned. As the story moves on to cover the period up to 1920, steam power and early diesel power is illustrated with photos of old machines.
The later chapters cover the period from 1920 to the end of the 20th century and the majority of the book is devoted to the later periods. All types of machinery get discussed, with much about compacting equipment and excavating machinery, with perhaps rather less than deserved on the trucks used to carry materials during construction such as dump trucks. A little more on machinery used to lay concrete roads or installing drains would not have been out of place either.
The big names in road building equipment get a mention and there are many photos of old Caterpillar and other machines.
Overall this is an interesting perspective on the development of road building equipment. The last ten years of developments are not included as the book was first published in 1998 so some of the newer mechanised methods of moving temporary concrete barriers are not included. The 400+ photos and illustrations will appeal to anyone interested in construction machinery, and the text is sufficiently interesting without being over technical to make for a pleasant read.
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