Chapter 54: Auto racks and the helper
Twenty yards of auto racks and the helper
An auto rack is two car lengths long and takes two slots on a track and two behind the engine, so every capacity becomes a length budget.
A second switcher works the far lead with its own cut. Either engine can move, changing engines is free, and the two have to hand cars to each other through the tracks.
20 yards, pars from 5 to 14 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 54 draws on the running track, the wye and yard orders, 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 54.1 | 5 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 54.2 | 7 | Dover on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 3 | Yard 54.3 | 7 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 54.4 | 8 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 5 | Yard 54.5 | 8 | Erie on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 54.6 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Erie, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 7 | Yard 54.7 | 7 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 54.8 | 5 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a running track to the far lead. |
| 9 | Yard 54.9 | 6 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 54.10 | 7 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 54.11 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 54.12 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 13 | Yard 54.13 | 11 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 14 | Yard 54.14 | 9 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 54.15 | 7 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Dover, Concord, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 54.16 | 9 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Concord, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a wye off the lead. |
| 17 | Yard 54.17 | 12 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead, yard orders on the clock. |
| 18 | Yard 54.18 | 7 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for yard orders on the clock. |
| 19 | Yard 54.19 | 9 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Erie, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a helper on the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 54.20 | 14* | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a helper on 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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