Train shunting puzzles, also often called railway shunting puzzles or railroad switching puzzles, are a type of puzzle. Shunting puzzles usually consist of a specific track layout, a set of initial conditions (typically the starting place of each item of

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

), a defined goal (the finishing place of each rolling stock item), and rules which must be obeyed while performing the shunting operations. There are often constraints such as making the minimum number of couplings and uncouplings, or making the minimum number of junction direction changes, or completing the puzzle within a specified time limit. Other important factors may include the lengths of tracks limiting the number of rolling stock vehicles which can be placed along them. Some shunting puzzles allow certain types of rolling stock to navigate a particular section of track but not other types of rolling stock, for example a

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

might not be allowed to pass below a low bridge whereas

wagons A wagon (or waggon) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

are allowed, or a particularly heavy wagon might not be allowed across a weak bridge, or a particularly tall wagon might not be allowed to pass through a tunnel. Some train shunting puzzles have been developed as add-ons for railway simulator computer programs such as Auran's

Trainz ''Trainz'' is a series of 3D train simulator video games. The Australian studio Auran (since 2007 N3V Games) released the first game in 2001. The simulators consist of route and session editors called ''Surveyor'', and a ''Driver'' module t ...

and

Microsoft Train Simulator ''Microsoft Train Simulator'' (informally abbreviated to MSTS) is a 2001 train simulator game developed by UK-based Kuju Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Games (now known as Xbox Game Studios) for Microsoft Windows, W ...

Categories

Shunting puzzles tend to fall into the following categories, but this list is not intended to be exhaustive: * Build up a train (known as a "consist" in Australian and North American railway terminology) in a specified order, picking up rolling stock from various locations such as sidings. * Decompose a train, placing rolling stock items in specified locations. * Devise the optimum sequence of rolling stock items in a train, so that it can be efficiently assembled at its starting point and decomposed at its destination(s). * Devise a means by which two long trains can pass each other on a single track, for example the double saw-by manoeuvre at a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

, used when both of the trains are too long to fit into the loop. It may or may not be required to maintain the original sequence of rolling stock in each train. * Run a locomotive around its passenger carriages at a terminus ready for the return journey. * Reverse the direction of a train, for example at a wye where the train is too long to fit into any of the individual sections of track.

Examples

Two of the best known model railway train shunting puzzles are: * Alan Wright's " Inglenook Sidings" * John Allen's " Timesaver".

External links

Model Railways Shunting Puzzles
Includes full descriptions of Inglenook Sidings and Timesaver.
nrich - Shunting Puzzle
Classic Shunting puzzles as computer game
Railroad Shunting Puzzle
Flash game about shunting puzzles

Shunting puzzles as a game app for tablet computers and smartphones Logic puzzles Railroad games {{puzzle-game-stub

Categories

Examples

See also

External links