Chapter 201: The hump and the helper
Twenty yards of the hump and the helper
From the crest of the hump a whole cut rolls off one car at a time, each routed to a track as it goes, and the lot counts as a single move.
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 13 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 201 draws on the shop, the helper and placard spacing, 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 201.1 | 11 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 201.2 | 10 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 3 | Yard 201.3 | 7 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 201.4 | 8 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 5 | Yard 201.5 | 8 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 201.6 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 201.7 | 6 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 201.8 | 10 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 9 | Yard 201.9 | 7 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 201.10 | 7 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 201.11 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 201.12 | 13 | The outbound Erie, Albany, Albany, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 201.13 | 11 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead, cars that need the shop first. |
| 14 | Yard 201.14 | 4 | Erie on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 201.15 | 5 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 201.16 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 17 | Yard 201.17 | 11* | The outbound Boston, Boston, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 18 | Yard 201.18 | 8 | The outbound Erie, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 201.19 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Albany, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 201.20 | 11 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a helper on the far lead, cars that need the shop first. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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