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So, absent unpredictable special workings for new stock, non-existent exhibitions, and bank holidays; one has to do one of:

Start at Olympia (presumably at 05:50)

Start near enough to Olympia to get there before the 06:33 leaves

Hit one of the two evening trains fairly precisely (and hope they're on time!)

None of which looks particularly tempting!

Senji.

Spot on. However it's easy enough to hit one of the early morning trains with a Heathrow T4 start.

Senji wrote:So, absent unpredictable special workings for new stock, non-existent exhibitions, and bank holidays; one has to do one of:

Start at Olympia (presumably at 05:50)

Start near enough to Olympia to get there before the 06:33 leaves

Hit one of the two evening trains fairly precisely (and hope they're on time!)

None of which looks particularly tempting!

Senji.

Senji - have you set a record for the longest gap between posts on this forum? Six years, eight months and one day since you last posted, by my reckoning. No doubt someone will come along and tell me if I'm wrong and there's been a longer gap.

Senji wrote:So, absent unpredictable special workings for new stock, non-existent exhibitions, and bank holidays; one has to do one of:

Start at Olympia (presumably at 05:50)

Start near enough to Olympia to get there before the 06:33 leaves

Hit one of the two evening trains fairly precisely (and hope they're on time!)

None of which looks particularly tempting!

Senji.

This is really what you have to do!

It could be a pain.

Heathrow is the obvious start as it's a common start/finish so you're not knocking your route too much out of shape

I'm not very fond of the Heathrow start, it makes all my planning awkward. But que sera sera.

Senji wrote:I'm not very fond of the Heathrow start, it makes all my planning awkward. But que sera sera.

then go for the other start you have in mind it should be noted the current record holders aint exactly being very vocal on this subject strange they were when they didnt hold it?

The very slow completion I did started at Ealing Broadway to try and get one of the early Olympia ones. (definitely not record breaking - but we knew it wasn't going to be fast!). This is a moot point though, as the route didn't work

Heathrow is a good place to start/end from being practical, as there are many hotels and hostels in the local area too.

Failing that, why not try a starting point somewhere, and see if the first train from there links up with Olympia? If not, it's a case of either re-writing the route until you can fit an evening or morning train in it, or going for one of the two weeks in the year when the service runs all day - the week in August, or the week in December.

As an aside too, it might help to be flexible - as the training pathways *could* be used - but there's no guarantee that they will! There have been times when the District service goes to pot that I have seen trains taken in service to Olympia, so as to keep the best service running (and reversed there instead of Wimbledon, Richmond etc, to save time for late running). It does happen - but only incredibly rarely.

Best to just keep an eye on what's going on if you can, with a Departure Boards app - or ask a friend to sit at Earl's Court and watch if anything goes to (or comes out of!) Olympia!

palkanetoijala31 wrote:

Senji wrote:I'm not very fond of the Heathrow start, it makes all my planning awkward. But que sera sera.

then go for the other start you have in mind it should be noted the current record holders aint exactly being very vocal on this subject strange they were when they didnt hold it?

Guess I'll have to do on this one. Hello everyone - took a forum holiday.

Heathrow start is ok but it forces you into a finish that is say 10 mins slower than if you flip the route. Yes you get the Olympia train but it relies on a very smooth start to get an optimal Heathrow start.

Our route had two opportunities for Olympia, mid afternoon if an exhibition service ran or early evening. It was sbout making a route that fitted.

With regard to Olympia bring closed, it's s difficult call. Olympia is a useful reversing point when things go wrong on the District. Reduce it to a non passenger line and you force tip outs at Earls Court. At present you don't tip the train out, and if someone doesn't notice then they are back at Earls Court 10 mins later.

welcome back would moley also agree that one half of the current record holders would never seems to get mentioned in press is particulary silent

in relation to starting points is feasible even from epping and upminster and cockfosters and to reach the morning trains at least chesham defo has to be an evening train route minded

if this helps

http://gbbf.org.uk/the-event/travel

Olympia London is the only venue in London with a dedicated rail station - Kensington (Olympia). Transport For London (TFL) have confirmed that a special service will once again be running from Earl’s Court Tube Station to Kensington (Olympia) Tube Station to service the Great British Beer Festival.

does this mean it will be 30 minute service as said previously during the time of the event?

Don't both Upminster and Cockfosters starts also work with the early Olympia trains?

jbom wrote:Don't both Upminster and Cockfosters starts also work with the early Olympia trains?

hence two comments up add epping in there as Chesham Amersham no chance

Anyone else notice a certain missing green dotted line on this..... http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube ???

Though they have left the interchange node in place.

It must surely be a bug. They wouldn't leave the interchange node there for no reason. Besides, the services are published in new WTTs and they wouldn't cancel them and bother to publish a new WTT not even a week after the new one?