tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Let us know about your latest FULL NETWORK CHALLENGE efforts
User avatar
tractakid
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 3320
Joined: 15 Nov 2011, 20:04
Location: Milton Keynes

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by tractakid »

Things i'd do differently next time:

Double back from North Ealing to Park Royal, walk from there.
Run to Ickenham from West Ruislip, unless a U1 is right there.
Check the 'next train indicator' at terminii!
Plan a better route to tackle the Zone 1 better.
Do the High Barnet branch northbound
ALWAYS prioritise the loop rather than Epping
take an extra bottle of fluid
Last edited by tractakid on 13 Apr 2012, 14:17, edited 1 time in total.
*insert boasting about notable tube accomplishments here*
User avatar
Iain
All Zones
Posts: 2154
Joined: 11 Nov 2011, 11:26
Location: Sutton

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by Iain »

You've made me realise I don't know where the indicator board is at High Barnet, as we normally do the run the other way.

I tend to prioritise things like the loop as the trains are rarer, ditto Mill Hill East. Ideally the sooner I can get the "big three" out of the way the better, although now you can only really do two of them with a NW corner start.

Did you mean North Ealing to Park Royal double back? I've never used that but Andi showed it to me - the famous Finnish gambit!

Looking forward to hearing about the next attempt. You did really well to get that close on a first attempt, I'd never have got near to a completion first time without Andi and Tangy.
Full Network: Three completions, Best time: 17:18:18 - thanks Glen, Andrew and Rhys!
Former DLR 45 station record holder (with Glen, Andi and Stevo) - 2h:08m:57s
All lines: 46:11 (6th equal)
Zone One 2:52:51 (thanks Glen)
Nigel
Zone 5
Posts: 640
Joined: 06 Jan 2008, 19:04
Location: Woodford

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by Nigel »

Don't forget that there are two entrances at High Barnet - so which way you go in may depend how you've run there (or where you might have got off a bus).
User avatar
tractakid
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 3320
Joined: 15 Nov 2011, 20:04
Location: Milton Keynes

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by tractakid »

Some photos:

Trapped behind the barrier at Heathrow Terminal 4, I ended up phoning the station supervisor just to be sure i'd get in! :P (number was taped to the barrier)
Image
On the platform! 4 mins to go!
Image
Image
On the first train!
Image
Everyone's favourite station!
Image
Bit of a wait at Finchley Central- possibly due to these guys clearing something off the track?
Image
Me again, slightly more fatigued
Image
Laydybird! At Debden, iirc.
Image
And... using the very last dregs of battery, taken by a very tired or slightly drunk man, at Chesham!
Image

Also, added 2 bits to my write up, at the end.
*insert boasting about notable tube accomplishments here*
User avatar
Starkey7
All Zones
Posts: 2382
Joined: 30 Aug 2005, 00:04
Location: Bath, Somerset

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by Starkey7 »

Good show. Quite a day! It's worth doing as many long stretches as you can, in my opinion, and not changing trains too often. That's what slows you down, I believe.
User avatar
tractakid
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 3320
Joined: 15 Nov 2011, 20:04
Location: Milton Keynes

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by tractakid »

There are sections and transitions involved in the route that I really liked, and thought worked well. However, I do not feel I linked them up very well. My goal is to re-work the route, particularly to avoid the messy clean-up of the central London stations.
*insert boasting about notable tube accomplishments here*
User avatar
Iain
All Zones
Posts: 2154
Joined: 11 Nov 2011, 11:26
Location: Sutton

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by Iain »

When I started putting routes together I tried to change as little as possible; on the face of it you should save time as you spend time on the changes. Even if a train is already at the platform you have still spent time moving between platforms, which at some stations can take up to a minute (or even more). I also tried to avoid double backs where possible for similar reasons. While I still think that these aren't bad principles, at times it didn't help as there was sometimes a long (as in several minute) wait at the end of a long stretch on a line. For example coming in from Cockfosters I planned to go through to Hammersmith, run to the other Hammersmith, and then up the H&C to Baker Street and down the Bakerloo to E&C. However that left me with a lengthy wait at Hammersmith. It actually turned out to come down the Picc line to Piccadilly Circus, go up the Bakerloo to Baker Street, and do the H&C bit the other way round with a nice connection. Then back up the Picc to P.Circus and down the Bakerloo to E&C. In this case the tidier changes saved me 7-8 minutes.

I guess what I'm saying is that while there are some good general principles, there are exceptions. I've been doing this for about six months now and have spent a lot of my spare time trying different routes, and I think they do get tidier with more practice. I think you had two long waits for MHE and the loop - that's already half an hour or so you can save if you can tidy that up, and there's other bits like the bus from H&W to HOTH and then doubling back to Preston Road that can be tidied up (hint - look at the physical location of stations on a geographical map like the A-Z). I'm definitely still learning (for instance I discovered a new bus last week), and even people like Geoff say they learn something pretty much every time they do a run.

Do you have a date for the next run?
Full Network: Three completions, Best time: 17:18:18 - thanks Glen, Andrew and Rhys!
Former DLR 45 station record holder (with Glen, Andi and Stevo) - 2h:08m:57s
All lines: 46:11 (6th equal)
Zone One 2:52:51 (thanks Glen)
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by geofftech »

most of the things i learn each time, occurs because the trap you fall into is that you doing something that works well once, and you assume it will work again well next time - but then are you there at a different time of day, and it doesn't work out quite so well.

e.g. that long wait at Hammersmith? wouldn't occur if you got there in the peak when trains are more frequent! like jumping off a bus a stop or two early because it's going to get caught in rush hour traffic ahead, it's impossible to say "do this, this always works.." without taking into account the time of day it is ... and is one of the most difficult things to judge, only gained from bitter experience through doing it too many times!
User avatar
Iain
All Zones
Posts: 2154
Joined: 11 Nov 2011, 11:26
Location: Sutton

Re: tractakid's first go 11/04/12

Post by Iain »

Haha yes - I'll never use the W12 again (from bitter experience). I've used the U1 twice now, but both times have been in the middle of the day, I wouldn't use that in rush hour.

Another trap I can tend to fall into is doing sections in a fixed order, e.g. I always seem to do the right hand branch of the northern and the top of the Picc, then go along the Met/Circle/H&C to Baker Street and do the other branch, and do Upminster right at the end of the day (usually on a packed commuter train). There's no real need for this though, apart from wanting to get MHE out of the way early on, I could do those three sections in any order, or do something inbetween the two Northern Branches. Another one is getting fixated with using a "cute" change, such as a new bus I've discovered, or a little used back way between platforms. Ultimately the only real test is "Is it faster?"
Full Network: Three completions, Best time: 17:18:18 - thanks Glen, Andrew and Rhys!
Former DLR 45 station record holder (with Glen, Andi and Stevo) - 2h:08m:57s
All lines: 46:11 (6th equal)
Zone One 2:52:51 (thanks Glen)
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests