Chapter 138: The running track and the helper
Twenty yards of the running track and the helper
A running track loops to a far lead and far ladder, so open tracks can be worked from either end. One move takes the engine and its cut round the loop.
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 19 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 138 draws on placard spacing, placards and auto racks, 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 138.1 | 7 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 138.2 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Concord, Erie, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 138.3 | 8 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 138.4 | 5 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 138.5 | 4 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 138.6 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 138.7 | 7 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 138.8 | 4 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3. |
| 9 | Yard 138.9 | 10 | Boston on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 138.10 | 8 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 138.11 | 13* | The outbound Concord, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 138.12 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 138.13 | 19* | The outbound Dover, Erie, Erie, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 14 | Yard 138.14 | 7 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 138.15 | 14 | The outbound Albany, Dover, Dover, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 138.16 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Dover, Dover, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 138.17 | 17* | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 18 | Yard 138.18 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 138.19 | 19* | The outbound Erie, Boston, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 138.20 | 12* | The outbound Albany, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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