Chapter 50: The running track and open slots
Twenty yards of the running track and open slots
A running track loops to a far lead and far ladder, so open tracks can be worked from either end. One move takes the engine and its cut round the loop.
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 6 to 15 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 50 draws on placard spacing, placards and auto racks, 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 50.1 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Albany, Albany or Concord, Boston or Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 50.2 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Boston, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 50.3 | 6 | The outbound Erie, Dover or Erie, Erie, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 50.4 | 7 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 50.5 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Boston or Concord, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 50.6 | 10 | The outbound Erie, Concord, Concord, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 50.7 | 7 | The outbound any car, Dover, Albany or Erie, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 50.8 | 12* | The outbound Albany, Albany, Albany, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 50.9 | 15* | The outbound Boston, Albany, Boston or Erie, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 50.10 | 7 | Dover on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 50.11 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Boston or Dover, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 50.12 | 10 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 50.13 | 12* | The outbound Boston or Dover, Albany or Dover, Boston, Boston, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 14 | Yard 50.14 | 10 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 50.15 | 12 | The outbound Concord, Concord or Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 50.16 | 12 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 50.17 | 12 | The outbound Albany or Concord, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 18 | Yard 50.18 | 10 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 50.19 | 10 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Boston or Erie, Albany on Track 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 50.20 | 14* | The outbound any car, Erie, Albany, Concord or Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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