Chapter 96: Kicks and the helper
Twenty yards of kicks and the helper
A flat yard with a kick budget: shove, let go, and route one or two cars as they roll, like a small hump that runs out.
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 4 to 12 moves. Beside its theme, chapter 96 draws on sealed blocks, repair time and 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 96.1 | 7 | Boston on 1, Dover on 2, Erie on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 2 | Yard 96.2 | 7 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. |
| 3 | Yard 96.3 | 9 | Boston on 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 4 | Yard 96.4 | 6 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 5 | Yard 96.5 | 4 | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 6 | Yard 96.6 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Concord, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 7 | Yard 96.7 | 7 | Albany on 1, Dover on 2, Boston on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 8 | Yard 96.8 | 8 | Erie on 1, Concord on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 9 | Yard 96.9 | 9 | Dover on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 10 | Yard 96.10 | 5 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 11 | Yard 96.11 | 8 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Erie, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 12 | Yard 96.12 | 6 | The outbound Albany, Albany, Concord, Concord, Albany on Track 1, Erie on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 13 | Yard 96.13 | 12* | Concord on 1, Erie on 2, Boston on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 14 | Yard 96.14 | 5 | Erie on 1, Albany on 2, Concord on 3, Boston on 4. |
| 15 | Yard 96.15 | 10* | The outbound Erie, Erie, Concord on Track 1, Albany on 2, Dover on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for 2 kicks allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 16 | Yard 96.16 | 10 | The outbound Erie, Concord, Erie, Erie on Track 1, Dover on 2, Albany on 3, Boston on 4. Watch for cars that need the shop first. |
| 17 | Yard 96.17 | 9 | The outbound Dover, Dover, Dover, Erie on Track 1, Boston on 2, Albany on 3, Concord on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 18 | Yard 96.18 | 6 | The outbound Albany, Erie, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. |
| 19 | Yard 96.19 | 9 | The outbound Erie, Albany, Albany on Track 1, Boston on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 1 kick allowed, a helper on the far lead. |
| 20 | Yard 96.20 | 12 | Albany on 1, Erie on 2, Concord on 3, Dover on 4. Watch for 3 kicks allowed, 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.
New to the game? How to play covers pulls, shoves, goals and par in a minute.