Chapter 185: Cabooses and placard spacing
Twenty yards of cabooses and placard spacing
A caboose rides at the rear of its train, which is the ladder end, so it must be the last car coupled on. It travels with the engine and never goes over the hump.
Placard spacing rules for outbounds: a placarded car may not stand at the head of the train or be coupled to another placarded car.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 15 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 185 draws on no-engine tracks, stub tracks 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 185.1 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Erie, Albany, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3. |
| 2 | Yard 185.2 | 7 | Boston on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 3 | Yard 185.3 | 11 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Erie, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 4 | Yard 185.4 | 9 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 5 | Yard 185.5 | 12* | The outbound Albany, Erie, Erie, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 185.6 | 8 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 185.7 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 185.8 | 4 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 9 | Yard 185.9 | 12* | The outbound Dover, Albany, Dover, Albany, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 185.10 | 7 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 185.11 | 15* | The outbound Albany, Dover, Albany, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 185.12 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Concord, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 185.13 | 5 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Boston, Erie, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 14 | Yard 185.14 | 5 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 185.15 | 15* | The outbound Erie, Boston, Erie, Boston, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 185.16 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Albany, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 17 | Yard 185.17 | 12 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 18 | Yard 185.18 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Albany, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 185.19 | 15* | The outbound Concord, Concord, Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 185.20 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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