Chapter 145: Open slots and outbounds
Twenty yards of open slots and outbounds
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.
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.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 19 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 145 draws on placards, auto racks and timetables, 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 145.1 | 5 | The outbound any car, Boston or Dover, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 2 | Yard 145.2 | 6 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 145.3 | 5 | The outbound any car, Concord, any car on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 4 | Yard 145.4 | 4 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 145.5 | 7 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Albany or Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 145.6 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 7 | Yard 145.7 | 7 | The outbound Concord, any car, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 145.8 | 8 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 145.9 | 6 | The outbound Dover, Concord or Dover, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 145.10 | 5 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 145.11 | 6 | The outbound Dover, Albany or Dover, Erie, Erie, Albany or Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 145.12 | 13 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 13 | Yard 145.13 | 10 | The outbound Albany or Boston, Erie, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 14 | Yard 145.14 | 8 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 145.15 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Boston or Dover, Albany, Albany or Erie on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 145.16 | 9 | The outbound Albany, Concord, Concord, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 145.17 | 13 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Dover, any car, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 145.18 | 11 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 19 | Yard 145.19 | 9 | The outbound Boston, any car, Concord or Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 145.20 | 19* | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, any car on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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