Rule G

Brain teasers.

Earlier I mentioned the Timesaver.  With my newfound inspiration, I did some research on switching puzzles.  I still plan to build a Timesaver, but I decided to start off with Inglenook Sidings.  Inglenook is a fiendishly simple puzzle designed by Alan Wright in the UK.  Simply put, you have 8 cars on three sidings, with 14 slots total.  You have to make a train from a randomly selected 5 cars, in a specified order.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

I spent a lot more time than I’d care to admit.

It’s a motley selection of cars, starting with the small amount I had saved from years ago, winnowed down based on running condition and coupler style.  Selection of the five cars was randomized by assigning each a number and then drawing from a deck of cards.

For some reason the puzzle wasn’t going well until I cracked a Tuckerman’s Headwall Alt.  Fortunately the FRA doesn’t have jurisdiction over my dining room table.

It’s done, and it seems like it may provide a few evenings worth of mental exercise.  Now it just needs some scenery and an industry or two.