Geoff's Tube 14 - 4th July 2011 (To the trains!)

Write-ups from those with over 21 full network challenge attempts
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

Et voila, for those of you that were there, and those not on Thursday. Can you spot the TubeChallenge.com regulars in this piece ...

http://is.gd/5E2SoJ
User avatar
Garion
All Zones
Posts: 2837
Joined: 17 Jul 2006, 19:26
Location: Cardiff

Re: To the trains!

Post by Garion »

Sigh...I'm going to miss those trains. Many memories :)
Zone 1 Winner 2009
02:52:59


Comic Relief 2015
17:42:22
User avatar
Garion
All Zones
Posts: 2837
Joined: 17 Jul 2006, 19:26
Location: Cardiff

Re: To the trains!

Post by Garion »

Standing at the front door of the first carriage as the train pulls into Victoria, seeing how fast it goes, um.. the voice of Emma Clarke, the sound of the trains and the nice seats :)
Zone 1 Winner 2009
02:52:59


Comic Relief 2015
17:42:22
User avatar
tangy
Site Administrator
Posts: 2011
Joined: 23 Apr 2006, 22:26
Location: Walthamstow, London
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by tangy »

Unit 3086 (the experimental layout one) was the best of the lot
Adjudicator of the Alternative Challenges and webmaster of the Tube Challenge "Top Times" website at www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge

This is a Central line train to "Woodford via Hainault"- sadly, not no more!

Tangy.
User avatar
snudge27
All Zones
Posts: 1508
Joined: 18 May 2006, 19:23

Re: To the trains!

Post by snudge27 »

I never saw that one. What was different about it?
User avatar
greatkingrat
All Zones
Posts: 2544
Joined: 11 Feb 2005, 00:35

Re: To the trains!

Post by greatkingrat »

Was that the one with the perch seats?
Soon to be yet another forum train driver
User avatar
Garion
All Zones
Posts: 2837
Joined: 17 Jul 2006, 19:26
Location: Cardiff

Re: To the trains!

Post by Garion »

Ah yeah I remember Tangy saying something about this. Was it the one with perch seats? Something about more capacity.
Zone 1 Winner 2009
02:52:59


Comic Relief 2015
17:42:22
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

We're back. I am so tried my eyelids are physically drooping.

ALl 270 complete, Chesham to Heathow 5. In 16 hours, 38 minutes, 41 seconds.

we had the perfect 3 : Olympia, MHE and Hainault Loop. Hell, we even caught a U1 bus! but the day was still not perfect.

we did so much running, i dread to think what my legs are going to be like over the next couple of days.

had an amazing day.

we can go faster. the 16:27 train is possible, no queston.

more later. but not now. now i must curl up in my bed and die ...
Last edited by geofftech on 19 Sep 2012, 08:51, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
The Raven
All Zones
Posts: 2795
Joined: 05 Jun 2006, 23:49
Location: Perched on a branch
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by The Raven »

Well done

Can't wait to read the write up.
Go Pack Go!
One of the New York Six
Former holder of Zone One, Overground and DLR record
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

Hello, i'm more awake now! Words, pictures and moving pictures are forthcoming. At somepoint.

What I'd still like to discuss now though is the "perfect time" conundrum again. Would love to know what Marc Gawley's 'perfect day' time could be, and .. Andi & Co., your 16:44 (which was the 16:37 train), what do you think your 'perfect day', could/would have been?

I've always been sceptical of anything faster than 16:27, but yesterday we missed a Circle line by <30 seconds - put us back ten minutes, and then the c2C broke at Upminster where we waited 15 minutes instead of 3, that's another 10 minute block there - hence, if it all works : 16 hours 17 is possible. And I really wouldn't have believed that until I found myself experiencing it yesterday.

I want say something incredible, in that 16:07 could be possible, but that would sound cocky .. but if everything else worked as described above AND then we got a lucky bus late on, we would make another connection sooner that planned and put us on another train ahead on a ten minute service. It really could happen with a slice of luck.

There was just one major service delay on the Underground yesterday, a SPAD on the Bakerloo about 8am which broke the top end. If we'd have been doing the classic route coming down the Bakerloo at 07.30/8am we would have been screwed, probably. But we didn't go that way! Just goes to show that the dear old network can perform, run as it should - and fast times are possible.

Other highlights of yesterday include getting an S-Stock on the Met - first time on a tube challenge for me. We also did an operational train at Stanmore on the new Platform 3 - which i didn't think was in service yet until the new end-of-July timetable. A rather wonderful and intense day all in all. More to come ... (on Geofftech)

ps. It is my belief more than ever that fitness is key. Sam, I'm not trying to antagonise you, but I really would like to know if you do still think that doing it all using buses/short runs really is possible. Anthony and me ran practically the entire length of Cockfosters/High Barnet yesterday - only got a bus for ONE stop on that whole stretch! Which is probably why my leg muscles today are extremely sore ...
User avatar
tangy
Site Administrator
Posts: 2011
Joined: 23 Apr 2006, 22:26
Location: Walthamstow, London
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by tangy »

uefacup81 wrote:I never saw that one. What was different about it?
Unit 3086 was different in many ways, the most obvious difference was in the trailer coaches where the middle section in between the two sets of double doors had perch seats beside the doors.

In the motor/cab coaches the 2x2 bay seats were not really two by two but more like 1 and a halfx1 and a half, you could not fit two adults on them! This had the effect of increasing standing room around the doors (the experimental layout of this unit must have been a success as units such as the 95 stock feature perch seats as standard).

As it was a custom unit with shorter sideways seating bays (due to the perch seats) the standard 67 stock line diagram (above the seats) would not fit this unit and special ones had to be made specially! Similarily getting replacements for the interior of this unit was also difficult as parts had to made or cut down to fit.
Adjudicator of the Alternative Challenges and webmaster of the Tube Challenge "Top Times" website at www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge

This is a Central line train to "Woodford via Hainault"- sadly, not no more!

Tangy.
User avatar
Sam
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 4240
Joined: 19 Jul 2005, 13:14
Location: Forest of Dean
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Sam »

geofftech wrote:ps. It is my belief more than ever that fitness is key. Sam, I'm not trying to antagonise you, but I really would like to know if you do still think that doing it all using buses/short runs really is possible. Anthony and me ran practically the entire length of Cockfosters/High Barnet yesterday - only got a bus for ONE stop on that whole stretch! Which is probably why my leg muscles today are extremely sore ...
I'm the one with a 16:27 route on paper ;)
:D First and so far only female solo record holder!! :D

Ze forum's female train driver
Nigel
Zone 5
Posts: 640
Joined: 06 Jan 2008, 19:04
Location: Woodford

Re: To the trains!

Post by Nigel »

The beauty of this sport is that it is so unpredictable.

On both of my two attempts at a full network for the first half of the day there was a nominal 'good service'. On my first attempt (which deliberately started at a time which could not produce a record) until the late afternoon I was consistently making zero and negative time interchanges, despite having to find emergency loo stops whenever I could. In fact I was beginning to worry that as I had publicised in advance that I would be tweeting and as a relatively unknown newcomer, people might think I was some kind of deluded fantasist making it all up as I went along from the comfort of my armchair at home. On my second attempt, the first couple of hours went to timetable, then I went through a succession of just missed connections, timetabled trains failing to show, so that within the space of about just over three hours I went from being sub-world record pace to not being sure I could complete, and so decided to abandon less than half way through. So I've learnt that what happens in reality and what happens on paper are two different things entirely.

Reagrding Geoff catching an S stock for the first time on a challenge - amazingly on both these attempts I travelled on S stock, as I did (without any pre-planning) on each occasion I went on reconnaissance trips on the Met line (even though when I started these it was only February and I think S stock was very rare then).
palkanetoijala31

Re: To the trains!

Post by palkanetoijala31 »

From a retired tube challenger i would rather not get into the discussion of what people can achieve all i will say is that you all have a hell of a target to beat if u think its going to be easy!I know the physical aspects of what Marc did its around the same pace as myself so i know what he is capable of!.

Sam believes in her way is best geoff believes in support and now fitness is the key either way you both didnt get the job done in those 17months and now you have a harder target which makes your job harder in my view.

good luck to you all in your attempts.ps do i understand that this to the trains can be used by any tube challenger to twitter.?
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

Oh for goodness sake ...

Andi, as Nigel astutely points out above - on the day, it can either all work, or the system breaks down and it doesn't, that's just pure luck of the day.

On our last three attempts with a solid route, something always went wrong with the tube - or, a better way of putting it might be that something went wrong in a section that we hadn't done yet. All we needed was a day when the tube didn't break down, and this past Wednesday - we got one!

So it's not a "hell of a target" to beat. We did run hard and fast to make connections.

As boastful as it sounds, sub 17-hours times are easily possible IF THE TUBE WORKS (as it should), and that record time is beatable. For us on Wednesday, making either a Circle line train (missed by 30 seconds, 10 minutes wait for the next one), or the C2C foul up (16 minutes wait for a train, should have been less than 5) put us back by two ten minute blocks. Making either one of those would have put us on the 16:27 last train. Make both of those, and 16:17 is possible. Make a well timed bus connection (as I mention above) and it's another whole train ahead and 16:07 is possible - but that would be amazingly lucky, I grant you. But not impossible.

So. It's still up for grabs people. COME ON!

(ps. Yes, you are welcome to our '@to_the_trains' twitter account. Oh, except that you're retired, so there's no point in telling you the password ... :-) )
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests