Chapter 134: Outbounds and open slots
Twenty yards of outbounds and open slots
An outbound train must stand on its departure track in exactly the order the sign gives, ladder end first, so the order you shove cars in is the whole puzzle.
Outbound patterns can leave slots open to any car, or to a set of destinations. Choosing which car fills a slot cheaply is the puzzle, because the handy one is rarely the right one.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 18 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 134 draws on yard orders, no-engine tracks and stub tracks, 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 134.1 | 4 | The outbound any car, Dover or Erie, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 2 | Yard 134.2 | 4 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 3 | Yard 134.3 | 7 | The outbound Concord or Dover, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 4 | Yard 134.4 | 6 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 5 | Yard 134.5 | 8 | The outbound any car, Concord, Dover, Concord, Dover or Erie on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3. |
| 6 | Yard 134.6 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Concord, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 7 | Yard 134.7 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Concord or Erie, Boston or Concord, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 134.8 | 10 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 9 | Yard 134.9 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, any car, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 134.10 | 6 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 134.11 | 7 | The outbound Boston or Concord, Dover or Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 134.12 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Erie, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 13 | Yard 134.13 | 8 | The outbound Albany or Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 14 | Yard 134.14 | 9 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 134.15 | 6 | The outbound Erie, Dover, Albany or Erie, Boston or Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 134.16 | 6 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Concord, Albany, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 17 | Yard 134.17 | 9 | The outbound any car, Boston or Erie, Dover, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 18 | Yard 134.18 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Albany, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 19 | Yard 134.19 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Albany or Concord, Concord, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 134.20 | 18* | The outbound Albany, Concord, any car, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
New to the game? How to play covers pulls, shoves, goals and par in a minute.