Chapter 68: Outbounds and auto racks
Twenty yards of outbounds and auto racks
An outbound train must stand on its departure track in exactly the order the sign gives, ladder end first, so the order you shove cars in is the whole puzzle.
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.
20 yards, pars from 6 to 13 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 68 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 68.1 | 6 | The outbound Boston, Boston, Boston, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 2 | Yard 68.2 | 8 | Albany on 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 68.3 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Concord, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 4 | Yard 68.4 | 6 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 68.5 | 6 | The outbound Albany, Concord, Concord, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 6 | Yard 68.6 | 8 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Boston on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 7 | Yard 68.7 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Concord on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 8 | Yard 68.8 | 6 | Albany on 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 68.9 | 11 | The outbound Dover, Boston, Boston, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 10 | Yard 68.10 | 6 | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 68.11 | 10 | The outbound Erie, Boston, Erie on Track 1, Concord on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 12 | Yard 68.12 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Boston, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 13 | Yard 68.13 | 11 | The outbound Erie, Dover, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 14 | Yard 68.14 | 6 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Concord on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 68.15 | 10 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 16 | Yard 68.16 | 8 | The outbound Concord, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 68.17 | 13 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Albany, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 68.18 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Erie, Albany, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 19 | Yard 68.19 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Boston on 2, Erie on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 20 | Yard 68.20 | 12* | The outbound Erie, Erie, Erie, Dover on Track 1, Albany on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. |
* A par marked with a star is the best known line for a yard too large to solve outright.
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