Gridlock Mystery Cache

This cache is hidden along the route of the New York Central's Lake Mahopac Division, which connected Goldens Bridge with the Lake Mahopac resort area. The last trains ran in 1959, and the tracks were soon torn up. The right-of-way is an undeveloped rail trail. The listed coordinates will bring you to the parking area on Brick Hill Road. To find the cache you first will have to solve a series of crossword puzzle clues.

Coordinates for the final:

N41 18.ABC W073 42.DEF

All of these clues were drawn from Wednesday crossword puzzles published in The New York Times. Puzzles in the Times become increasingly difficult as each week progresses from Monday through Saturday, so Wednesday puzzles are of middling difficulty. (Despite its larger grid, the Sunday puzzle has a Thursday difficulty level.) Once you have solved all of the clues, you will have more than enough information to replace the letters with numbers. Some of the clues may generate two-digit numbers. Should that occur, use either the first digit and discard the second, or add the two digits together.

Expect a round-trip walk of approximately 2 miles. The cache is hidden approximately 30 feet from the trail. Please be aware that although there is no noticeable change in elevation, this is not a manicured, blacktopped rail trail. Sections of the footpath can be quite muddy after a heavy rain, and at least one short segment is a potential ankle-twister. Appropriate footwear is suggested. No flip-flops or roller-blades, please.

Leading the league (5 letters)

__ __ R __ __

Metal giant (5 letters)

__ L __ __ A

1974 pardon recipient (5 letters)

__ __ X __ __

Longtime Cowboys coach Tom (6 letters)

__ A __ __ __ Y

Neil Simon's "Lost in __________" (7 letters)

__ __ N K __ __ __

Shard of breakfast refuse (8 letters)

__ __ G __ __ __ L __

They have a chilling effect (9 letters)

__ __ L __ __ N __ P __

First person to win a Smarties prize, for children's books, three years in a row. (9 letters)

__ __ __ O __ L __ N __

__ __ __ T __ __ __ U __

Novelist/poet not playing the field (10 letters)

__ __ L __ __ R __ __ C __

Some spy materials (11 letters)

__ __ C __ __ T C __ __ __ S

Check your results at geochecker.com

There are two other caches along this section of trail: "I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts" GC3H58Y and "Ghost Rail" (multi) GC27198. Also near the parking area you can look for "No" GC39J4R

Congratulations to King Rason and theatomic brain on their shared FTF honors.