Chapter 81: Timetables and sorting
Twenty yards of timetables and sorting
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.
Every car has a destination and every track an assignment. Pull cuts to the lead, shove them back in the right place, and do it in as few moves as the yard allows.
20 yards, pars from 3 to 16 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 81 draws on kicks, open slots and doubled 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 81.1 | 7 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 2 | Yard 81.2 | 5 | Concord on 1, Boston on 2, Dover on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed. |
| 3 | Yard 81.3 | 8 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 4 | Yard 81.4 | 5 | The outbound Boston, Boston or Erie, Dover on Track 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 5 | Yard 81.5 | 9 | Dover on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 6 | Yard 81.6 | 7 | The outbound Concord, Concord, Erie, Erie in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4, Dover on 5. |
| 7 | Yard 81.7 | 8 | Erie on 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 8 | Yard 81.8 | 3 | Concord on 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed. |
| 9 | Yard 81.9 | 10 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 10 | Yard 81.10 | 6 | Dover on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 81.11 | 7 | The outbound Concord, Boston, Concord, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 12 | Yard 81.12 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Erie, Albany, Albany in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4, Concord on 5. |
| 13 | Yard 81.13 | 16* | Concord on 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a timetable. |
| 14 | Yard 81.14 | 9 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Albany on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 81.15 | 9 | The outbound Boston, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 16 | Yard 81.16 | 4 | The outbound any car, any car, Dover, Dover on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Erie on 4. |
| 17 | Yard 81.17 | 15 | The outbound Concord, Albany, Concord, Concord, Albany in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4, Erie on 5. Watch for a timetable. |
| 18 | Yard 81.18 | 7 | The outbound Erie, Albany, Erie in two sections from Tracks 1 and 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4, Boston on 5. |
| 19 | Yard 81.19 | 8 | The outbound Dover, Concord, Dover, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Erie on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for a timetable. |
| 20 | Yard 81.20 | 16 | Boston on 1, Concord on 2, Erie on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 2 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.