Chapter 53: Cabooses and yard orders
Twenty yards of cabooses and yard orders
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.
Yard orders fire on the clock: a track closes and reopens, the yardmaster reassigns a track, the work train needs one clear, and the other crew moves cars on its own schedule.
20 yards, pars from 4 to 14 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 53 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 53.1 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Albany, Boston, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 2 | Yard 53.2 | 4 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 3 | Yard 53.3 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Boston, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 4 | Yard 53.4 | 6 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 5 | Yard 53.5 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Concord, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 6 | Yard 53.6 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 53.7 | 12 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Albany, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 8 | Yard 53.8 | 6 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine. |
| 9 | Yard 53.9 | 7 | The outbound Albany, Dover, Dover, Albany, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 10 | Yard 53.10 | 6 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 53.11 | 10 | The outbound Albany, Concord, Albany, Albany, Albany, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 12 | Yard 53.12 | 5 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Boston, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 53.13 | 7 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine, yard orders on the clock. |
| 14 | Yard 53.14 | 9 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 53.15 | 10 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 16 | Yard 53.16 | 5 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Dover, Dover, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a stub behind another track. |
| 17 | Yard 53.17 | 14 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Albany, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 18 | Yard 53.18 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 53.19 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Concord, Albany, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 20 | Yard 53.20 | 10 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Boston, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a hump yard, a track closed to the engine, yard orders on the clock. |
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