tubechallenge.com

Following my 236-out-of-270 attempt back in June, I've decided to have another stab at completing The Tube Challenge, this time with a little help with some late-running night services.

The attempt is planned for Friday 14th October, hopefully with a 05:02 start from Heathrow T4 and the early stab at Olympia that this will allow.

Back in June, I spent the night before in the Holiday Inn in Watford. This time, I'm going to catch one of the all-night Oxford-Heathrow coaches down from my home in Oxford, then back again afterwards.

Good luck.

Thanks for the good luck wishes, Quisquidilius.

I have put together what I think is a pretty good route, starting at Heathrow T4 and then taking in both Olympia and Mill Hill East fairly early in the day. However, as with my attempt back in June, I am not intending on doing too much running but will instead keep to walking at a brisk pace, both on surface foot transfers and in tunnels between platforms - the running around does look to me to be the least enjoyable element of this hobby!

The planned start is 05:02 on Friday. I've left chunks of the Jubilee, Victoria and Piccadilly lines until the end of the day to take advantage of all-night services on those lines, though in truth I'm hoping (with luck) to have completed by about 00:15 or so when most other services come to a halt.

I'm pleased to announce that, at the second attempt, I have managed to complete the Tube Challenge last week on Friday 14th October, starting at Heathrow Terminal 4 at 05:02 and finishing at Brixton, as well as managing to get Kensington Olympia ticked as early as 06:15.

Not quite such impressive news is the time completed in: a rather desperate 21 hours 5 minute and 59 seconds.

The time is a bit of a disappointment for me, because even very late in the day I was confident I'd make it in my planned nineteen-and-a-half-hours. Everything during the entire day went exactly as planned, with only a couple of slightly-slower-than-expected trains during the evening rush hour.

My one mistake was deciding to leave chunks of the Jubilee and Victoria lines to last, relying on the all-night Friday services to complete those. As it turns out, completing those two at well past usual closing time was a much slower process than expected, and I suffered for just bolting them on at the end, rather than integrating them properly into my overall plan.

During both of my challenge attempts, my favourite part has been jumping around the Ealing/Acton/Uxbridge area. It has been really enjoyable planning and then putting into action that part of the route, and seeing how you can get the two distinct lines that are the Central and the Piccadilly to work together and avoid any back-tracking. And I've come to regard those journeys on foot between North Ealing and West Acton, and then Ickenham and West Ruislip, almost as things of pure beauty! Unfortunately, the Jubilee and Victoria lines do not work in the same way, and I doubt anyone would think of pairing these two up in the same manner. Finishing the challenge by trundling all the way out to Walthamstow, then all the way back to Brixton was a time-consuming way to round it all off (Brixton was a chosen finishing point due to the ease with which I could get back to Victoria and catch a bus home).

Still, I'm incredibly happy to have completed, and am considering another attempt and a better time perhaps sometime in the spring. Here are a few figures:

Challenge: 270 out of 270

Time: 21 hours, 5 minute, 59 seconds

Tube trains used during day: 49

Buses used: 2 - the 384 Cockfosters to High Barnet, and the 340 Canon's Park to Edgware

Other trains used: 2 - C2C from Upminster back to West Ham, and Chilterns from Amersham back to Harrow-On-The-Hill

Foot transfers used: 8 - West Kensington to Kensington (Olympia), Aldgate to Aldgate East, Kenton to Northwick Park, Ickenham to West Ruislip, Hammersmith (H&City) to Hammersmith (District), Gunnersbury to Chiswick Park, West Acton to North Ealing, and South Wimbledon to Wimbledon.


Many thanks


Oxpeter

Congratulations!!!

Duncan wrote:Congratulations!!!

And Celebrations!....

Yes, very well done!

However you have almost certainly broken the record for the latest finish of a full network attempt at 0208ish!

greatkingrat wrote:However you have almost certainly broken the record for the latest finish of a full network attempt at 0208ish!

Soon to be re-broken in April....

Well, given it wasn't possible to finish much later than 0137, which is when the very last Tube train of the day arrives at Upminster, I think we can take this as certain...

Congratulations!

Well done - completion is something to be proud of, no matter what the time. If you want to let me have your name, I will add you to the top times list.

Congrats!!

I think as your route planning gets better, you'll find better ways to do parts of the network to avoid inefficient coverage (although occasionally it's the best way).

Well done; that's one hell of a feat, especially with to/from Oxford.