Chapter 52: Kicks and timetables
Twenty yards of kicks and timetables
A flat yard with a kick budget: shove, let go, and route one or two cars as they roll, like a small hump that runs out.
The move counter is a clock. Arrivals roll in off the main at their move and need room; departures leave on time only if the train is standing in order, or the shift is lost.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 12 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 52 draws on sealed blocks, repair time and outbounds, 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 52.1 | 8 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 2 | Yard 52.2 | 5 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 52.3 | 7 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 4 | Yard 52.4 | 8 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 5 | Yard 52.5 | 5 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 6 | Yard 52.6 | 4 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Boston, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 52.7 | 8 | Erie on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 8 | Yard 52.8 | 8 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 52.9 | 11 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 10 | Yard 52.10 | 7 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 52.11 | 12* | The outbound Concord, Dover, Dover, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 12 | Yard 52.12 | 6 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 52.13 | 7 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 14 | Yard 52.14 | 8 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 52.15 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a timetable. |
| 16 | Yard 52.16 | 12 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Dover, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 17 | Yard 52.17 | 12 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 52.18 | 10 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Boston, Boston on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 52.19 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
| 20 | Yard 52.20 | 12 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a timetable. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
New to the game? How to play covers pulls, shoves, goals and par in a minute.