Chapter 229: Cabooses and outbounds
Twenty yards of cabooses and outbounds
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.
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.
20 yards, pars from 3 to 11 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 229 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 229.1 | 9 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Albany, Albany, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3. |
| 2 | Yard 229.2 | 5 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 3 | Yard 229.3 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Boston, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3. |
| 4 | Yard 229.4 | 8 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 5 | Yard 229.5 | 3 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Dover, Concord, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 229.6 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 229.7 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3. |
| 8 | Yard 229.8 | 5 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 9 | Yard 229.9 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Albany, Dover, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 229.10 | 5 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 229.11 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Albany, Concord, Albany, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 229.12 | 7 | The outbound Boston, Erie, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 229.13 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 14 | Yard 229.14 | 9 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 229.15 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Boston, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 229.16 | 10 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 17 | Yard 229.17 | 11 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Erie, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 18 | Yard 229.18 | 6 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 229.19 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Boston, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 229.20 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Albany, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
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