According to Randy, after 1900 America began to link the eastern U.S. with the western parts of the country with a system of paved roads. It was sheer muscle power and "the power of steam" produced from burning coal and wood that drove early steam traction engines and vintage steam road rollers that accomplished this work. Some of these massive machines like this vintage steam road roller scratchbuilt by Randy and represented in 1/87 scale must have seemed like monsters rather than the construction implements they actually were used for.

Posted March 15, 2008