Chapter 57: Open slots and hidden waybills
Twenty yards of open slots and hidden waybills
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.
In the dark a car’s waybill is hidden until it has been pulled. Goals still use the true destination, so par allows a look or two.
20 yards, pars from 3 to 18 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 57 draws on placards, auto racks and timetables, 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 57.1 | 7 | The outbound Concord or Dover, Albany or Dover, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 2 | Yard 57.2 | 5 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 57.3 | 9 | The outbound Erie, any car, any car on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 4 | Yard 57.4 | 3 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 57.5 | 8 | The outbound Boston or Erie, Albany, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 6 | Yard 57.6 | 6 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Dover, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 7 | Yard 57.7 | 8 | The outbound Boston, Albany, Boston, Boston or Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 8 | Yard 57.8 | 7 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 57.9 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Concord, Albany or Boston, any car, Concord on Track 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 10 | Yard 57.10 | 4 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Boston on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 57.11 | 9 | The outbound Boston or Concord, Albany, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 12 | Yard 57.12 | 9 | The outbound Albany, Dover, Albany, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 13 | Yard 57.13 | 14 | The outbound Concord, Erie, Concord, Concord, Dover or Erie on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 14 | Yard 57.14 | 6 | Boston on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 57.15 | 11 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Boston or Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 16 | Yard 57.16 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Albany, Albany, Boston on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 57.17 | 17 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Albany or Boston, Albany or Boston on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled, a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 57.18 | 10 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Concord, Erie, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 19 | Yard 57.19 | 10 | The outbound Concord or Dover, Concord, Concord, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
| 20 | Yard 57.20 | 18* | The outbound Concord or Dover, Dover, Dover, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for waybills unread until pulled. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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