Chapter 198: Placard spacing and open slots
Twenty yards of placard spacing and open slots
Placard spacing rules for outbounds: a placarded car may not stand at the head of the train or be coupled to another placarded car.
Outbound patterns can leave slots open to any car, or to a set of destinations. Choosing which car fills a slot cheaply is the puzzle, because the handy one is rarely the right one.
20 yards, pars from 5 to 14 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 198 draws on outbounds, tonnage and the shop, 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 198.1 | 6 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Boston, Boston or Dover on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 2 | Yard 198.2 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 198.3 | 6 | The outbound Erie, any car, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3. |
| 4 | Yard 198.4 | 8 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 170 tons. |
| 5 | Yard 198.5 | 6 | The outbound Albany or Erie, Erie, Albany or Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 198.6 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 7 | Yard 198.7 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Concord or Erie, any car, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 198.8 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 198.9 | 14* | The outbound any car, Boston, Boston, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 198.10 | 5 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 198.11 | 12 | The outbound any car, Erie, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 198.12 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 13 | Yard 198.13 | 12 | The outbound Dover, Dover, any car, Albany or Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 14 | Yard 198.14 | 6 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 198.15 | 10 | The outbound any car, Dover, Albany or Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 198.16 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Concord, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 120 tons. |
| 17 | Yard 198.17 | 9 | The outbound any car, Concord, any car, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 18 | Yard 198.18 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 19 | Yard 198.19 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Concord or Dover, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 198.20 | 12 | The outbound Concord or Dover, Albany, Concord, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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