Chapter 51: Tonnage and sealed blocks
Twenty yards of tonnage and sealed blocks
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.
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.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 16 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 51 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 51.1 | 4 | Dover on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 160 tons. |
| 2 | Yard 51.2 | 11 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 3 | Yard 51.3 | 8 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 100 tons. |
| 4 | Yard 51.4 | 8 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 5 | Yard 51.5 | 8 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 6 | Yard 51.6 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Albany, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 51.7 | 7 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 8 | Yard 51.8 | 8 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 9 | Yard 51.9 | 12 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 10 | Yard 51.10 | 6 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 51.11 | 4 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 130 tons. |
| 12 | Yard 51.12 | 13* | The outbound Dover, Dover, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 51.13 | 16 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 230 tons, cars that need the shop first. |
| 14 | Yard 51.14 | 8 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 51.15 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 200 tons. |
| 16 | Yard 51.16 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Erie, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 17 | Yard 51.17 | 10 | The outbound Dover, Boston, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 160 tons. |
| 18 | Yard 51.18 | 13 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 51.19 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 170 tons. |
| 20 | Yard 51.20 | 15 | Dover on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for an engine rated for 220 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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