Different Stations Timed Challenge

[Sam]

I don't get this challenge either, nor see the point of it, but still I am a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to alternative challenges

[tubeguru]

Do you all want to hear a REALLY good idea for once?

What you need is a totally independent and unbiased ALTERNATIVE CHALLENGE RULES ADJUDICATOR (ACRA). This person fashions and maintains the rules for all alternative challenges based on suggestions from participants. Once the rules have been fashioned the ACRA's word is FINAL and the challenge must proceed in accordance with his rules, and not some of the half-arsed pap that gets bandied about.

The process would work something like this:

1 - Someone suggests an idea for a challenge

2 - Everyone argues about it and introduces more and more ludicrous rules (nothing new so far)

3 - At this point the ACRA takes all the ideas that people have come up with and fashions a set of rules based thereon. The ACRA should not take it upon himself to add any of his own rules - only those suggested on the forum can make up the final rules of the challenge.

4 - The challenge participants go out and do the challenge, saluting the brilliance of the ACRA

It's quite clear that I am the only person round here who qualifies as a non-interested, unbiased entity (as I don't do alternative challenges) and I nominate myself for the post forthwith.

The above is just an idea mind, but it's the best one I've had in ages.

[mps247]

What you need is a totally independent and unbiased ALTERNATIVE CHALLENGE RULES ADJUDICATOR (ACRA).

How about Alternative-Challenge Omnipotent Chairman (A-COC)?

[palkanetoijala31]

What you need is a totally independent and unbiased ALTERNATIVE CHALLENGE RULES ADJUDICATOR (ACRA).

How about Alternative-Challenge Omnipotent Chairman (A-COC)?

Now thats a quote of the year

[RichieG]

So, this is how I see what you are describing...

• Random station selected in Z1 to start, selected on the day as per Z1C.
• A specified amount of time selected, (my thoughts are about 2-3hrs given that's the rough time a R15 takes unless you count my last run)
• Get between as many stations in that specified time, finishing at the starting station
• Points for the number of stations visited (I'm thinking perhaps instead of limiting it to Z1 and Z2, have the number of points depending on the zone the station is in (with the lowest zone for stations on the borders). Therefore, if you visited Amersham you could get a potential 59 points (from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Amersham) but would potentially lose points by not sticking into the central area.)
• Penalty for not finishing at the starting station within the specified time (my thoughts again, finish at the right station, the penalty is depending on how late you are but no stations count towards main points after the given time. Thus, if the starting station is Paddington, with a time of 2 hours, if you find yourself at Willesden Junction when the 2 hours is up, you still have to get to Paddington, but won't get the 12 points for visiting the stations between)

I wrote that in order to try and make sense of the situations, but feel that I failed somewhat...

[Starkey7]

No Richie, that's pretty much the way I see it too. Thanks.

[Mitchell&BrownLook]

This sounds awfully familar to me, as I've already done this challenge! For more details about the concept read http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/viewto ... =12&t=1455

On the previous link I was asked not to copy the rules, as the Rail UK Forum people were a bit worried that we (the tube challengers) would steal their idea for a challenge, but you've done this without me! However I can assure you that it works perfectly well as a concept, however I think we've come up with an improvement as the starting station isn't known, whereas for the MerseyRail challenge, everyone knew they were starting at 1030 in Lime Street, so it was more about route planning than on the day execution or decisions. (As it turned out though only one competitor could get to Lime Street for 1030 as a piece of track had crumbled under the weight of a train. Fortunately our route only lost 2 stations due to this, so we still finished 3rd.)

However I'm going to copy their rule regarding late competitors, as this is our biggest bug bear currently.

"The end time will be 1700 precisely, at Liverpool Lime Street. We will then meet on Platform 8/9 as we did in the morning. You will be penalised if late: All stations visited on or after 1700 do not count and you will be deducted 1 station per 5 minute time band that you are late, up to a maximum of 30 minutes late when you are disqualified. You must hand your log book in to the organisers on arrival at Liverpool Lime Street (you'll get it back). The time stops when the train doors open at Liverpool Lime Street station, and you must immediately proceed to the meet point. If you arrive by bus then you need to be on station premises by 1700, and again immediately proceed to the meet point."

I think this works for us, with a few minor tweaks. Firstly we don't need a log book: we can trust each other. Secondly I'd reduce the margin of being late from 30 minutes to either 20 or 15 as tube services are, on the whole, more frequent than national rail. I'd personally keep it just zone 1 & 2, however I also think that extending it across the whole network would be interesting to do. Something that the other forum do for some challenges is to make the stations which are hardest to get to have a greater points value. Therefore if a whole network timed challenge was ever to be attempted, 3 clear examples of double point stations are Mill Hill East, Kensington Olympia & Chesham, while West Acton could also be considered.

As ever with sensible new ideas, I'm more than willing to give this a go.

[jbom]

http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/viewto ... f=11&t=877

A very similar idea was discussed on this forum last year and even acquired the name "runaround challenge".

[Going Underground]

http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/viewto ... f=11&t=877

A very similar idea was discussed on this forum last year and even acquired the name "runaround challenge".

This was actually discussed as a challenge a while back, but it didn't really get off the ground as there are only a a very small number of lines with a high frequency of stations, and most people agreed they'd use the District Line, but this was only discussed as a "one hour" challenge, it could get alot more interesting if longer periods of time were brought in and things got more difficult

Hooray thank you Jon I had spent HOURS trying to find this topic as I remember it had been discussed before but would never have found it under that title

Also see above quote which looks like it was even discussed before the topic you found

[geofftech]

I have more than once gone the wrong way around the circle line on purpose. Once I had to meet someone at Farringdon at 5:30pm and arrived at Kings Cross at 4:30pm so went anti-clockwise.

I often thought, that if I ever worked near the circle line and fancied a nap at lunch, a little lap could provide ample such opportunity. I work in Croydon however, so, even though we have a central loop on Tramlink, I'd have to keep sleep-changing at East Croydon to get my zeds away. Not ideal.

However, anyway, my Circle Line sleeps would not be possible even if I did work in town soon, as Edgemaster implies, so it's all gone wrong. Probably still the best line to do it on though, as you won't end up too far away if you oversleep. Choose the Piccy and wake up at Cockfosters, or the Met and wake up at Amersham, and you have a problem on your hands...

I digress

I used to work near Great Portland Street. One lunchtime, i did do a complete lap of the circle just because i'd never done it before and wanted to do it. Halfway round i DID nod off for about 15 minutes and so got a little nap in. That wasn't my intention, just the way it worked out.

[greatkingrat]

As we are still looking for a challenge for next Saturday, how about this one?