Chapter 186: Auto racks and sorting
Twenty yards of auto racks and sorting
An auto rack is two car lengths long and takes two slots on a track and two behind the engine, so every capacity becomes a length budget.
Every car has a destination and every track an assignment. Pull cuts to the lead, shove them back in the right place, and do it in as few moves as the yard allows.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 13 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 186 draws on the running track, the wye and yard orders, 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 186.1 | 7 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 2 | Yard 186.2 | 5 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 3 | Yard 186.3 | 5 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 4 | Yard 186.4 | 6 | Erie on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 5 | Yard 186.5 | 5 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 186.6 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 7 | Yard 186.7 | 6 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 186.8 | 5 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 9 | Yard 186.9 | 10 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 186.10 | 5 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 186.11 | 4 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 186.12 | 5 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 13 | Yard 186.13 | 11 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 14 | Yard 186.14 | 6 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 186.15 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 186.16 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Dover, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 17 | Yard 186.17 | 10 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 18 | Yard 186.18 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Albany, Albany, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 19 | Yard 186.19 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Concord, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 186.20 | 13 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
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