Chapter 146: Sealed blocks and the hump
Twenty yards of sealed blocks and the hump
Sealed blocks are two or three cars coupled as a unit. A pull or shove that would cut between them is refused, and a block is never humped or kicked.
From the crest of the hump a whole cut rolls off one car at a time, each routed to a track as it goes, and the lot counts as a single move.
20 yards, pars from 3 to 16 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 146 draws on the shop, the helper and placard spacing, 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 146.1 | 3 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 2 | Yard 146.2 | 11 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 3 | Yard 146.3 | 7 | Erie on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 4 | Yard 146.4 | 7 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 5 | Yard 146.5 | 7 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 6 | Yard 146.6 | 15* | The outbound Concord, Dover, Dover, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 146.7 | 6 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 8 | Yard 146.8 | 12 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 9 | Yard 146.9 | 9 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 10 | Yard 146.10 | 5 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 146.11 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Boston, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 12 | Yard 146.12 | 14 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 146.13 | 16 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, cars that need the shop first. |
| 14 | Yard 146.14 | 6 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 146.15 | 5 | The outbound Dover, Boston, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 16 | Yard 146.16 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 17 | Yard 146.17 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Boston, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 18 | Yard 146.18 | 7 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 146.19 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a hump yard. |
| 20 | Yard 146.20 | 10 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, cars that need the shop first. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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