Chapter 234: Sealed blocks and tonnage
Twenty yards of sealed blocks and tonnage
Sealed blocks are two or three cars coupled as a unit. A pull or shove that would cut between them is refused, and a block is never humped or kicked.
The engine carries a tonnage rating. Loaded cars weigh more than empties, and the engine cannot move a cut heavier than its rating, so big pulls have to be broken up.
20 yards, pars from 5 to 17 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 234 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 234.1 | 8 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 150 tons. |
| 2 | Yard 234.2 | 9 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 3 | Yard 234.3 | 9 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 4 | Yard 234.4 | 5 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 5 | Yard 234.5 | 11 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 150 tons. |
| 6 | Yard 234.6 | 12* | The outbound Erie, Erie, Erie, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 234.7 | 6 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 120 tons. |
| 8 | Yard 234.8 | 10 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 9 | Yard 234.9 | 9 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 180 tons. |
| 10 | Yard 234.10 | 6 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 234.11 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 150 tons. |
| 12 | Yard 234.12 | 14* | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 234.13 | 14 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 170 tons, cars that need the shop first. |
| 14 | Yard 234.14 | 8 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 234.15 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 170 tons. |
| 16 | Yard 234.16 | 6 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 17 | Yard 234.17 | 17* | The outbound Concord, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 120 tons. |
| 18 | Yard 234.18 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Boston, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 234.19 | 11 | The outbound Boston, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 180 tons. |
| 20 | Yard 234.20 | 14 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 280 tons, 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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