Chapter 117: Tonnage and the helper
Twenty yards of tonnage and the helper
The engine carries a tonnage rating. Loaded cars weigh more than empties, and the engine cannot move a cut heavier than its rating, so big pulls have to be broken up.
A second switcher works the far lead with its own cut. Either engine can move, changing engines is free, and the two have to hand cars to each other through the tracks.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 17 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 117 draws on doubled outbounds, the running track and the wye, with two breathers of plain sorting and extra cars. Difficulty runs as a sawtooth: runs of easy yards, a spike, a breather.
The yards
| # | Yard | Par | The job |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yard 117.1 | 4 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 180 tons. |
| 2 | Yard 117.2 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Erie in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4, Dover on 5. |
| 3 | Yard 117.3 | 4 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 180 tons. |
| 4 | Yard 117.4 | 7 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 5 | Yard 117.5 | 8 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 150 tons. |
| 6 | Yard 117.6 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Boston, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 7 | Yard 117.7 | 8 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 8 | Yard 117.8 | 7 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Boston, Concord in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4, Dover on 5. |
| 9 | Yard 117.9 | 6 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 200 tons. |
| 10 | Yard 117.10 | 4 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 117.11 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Boston, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 230 tons. |
| 12 | Yard 117.12 | 5 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 13 | Yard 117.13 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Boston, Albany in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4, Erie on 5. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 160 tons. |
| 14 | Yard 117.14 | 5 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 117.15 | 15 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Albany, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 200 tons. |
| 16 | Yard 117.16 | 10 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 17 | Yard 117.17 | 13 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, a wye off the lead, an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 18 | Yard 117.18 | 10 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Albany, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 19 | Yard 117.19 | 12 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 90 tons. |
| 20 | Yard 117.20 | 17* | The outbound Boston, Concord, Boston, Boston in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4, Dover on 5. Watch for a helper on the far lead, an engine rated for 320 tons. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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