Chapter 159: Placards and the helper
Twenty yards of placards and the helper
Placarded hazmat cars may not couple directly to the engine, may not be humped and may not be kicked, so they have to travel with a buffer car between them and the power.
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 16 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 159 draws on stub tracks, cabooses and sealed blocks, 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 159.1 | 7 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 159.2 | 5 | Boston on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 3 | Yard 159.3 | 6 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 159.4 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 159.5 | 4 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 159.6 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 159.7 | 6 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 159.8 | 6 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 9 | Yard 159.9 | 9 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 159.10 | 7 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 159.11 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 159.12 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 159.13 | 14* | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, a stub behind another track. |
| 14 | Yard 159.14 | 9 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 159.15 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 159.16 | 7 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 159.17 | 12 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 18 | Yard 159.18 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Concord, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 159.19 | 16* | The outbound Dover, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 159.20 | 13* | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, a stub behind another track. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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