Chapter 178: Outbounds and timetables
Twenty yards of outbounds and timetables
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.
The move counter is a clock. Arrivals roll in off the main at their move and need room; departures leave on time only if the train is standing in order, or the shift is lost.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 13 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 178 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 178.1 | 6 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Concord, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3. Watch for a timetable. |
| 2 | Yard 178.2 | 11 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 3 | Yard 178.3 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 4 | Yard 178.4 | 7 | Dover on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 5 | Yard 178.5 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 6 | Yard 178.6 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 7 | Yard 178.7 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 8 | Yard 178.8 | 7 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 9 | Yard 178.9 | 13 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 10 | Yard 178.10 | 5 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 178.11 | 12 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 12 | Yard 178.12 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 13 | Yard 178.13 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 14 | Yard 178.14 | 5 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 178.15 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 16 | Yard 178.16 | 4 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Erie, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 17 | Yard 178.17 | 11 | The outbound Albany, Boston, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track, a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 178.18 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Concord, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 19 | Yard 178.19 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 20 | Yard 178.20 | 13 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
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