Tube Olympics - Event 5 - DLR Challenge - Tuesday 24th July

[tractakid]

Are you in the area?

[greatkingrat]

(screws up original plan and chucks it in the bin)

[tangy]

Sorry I couldn't be there, overtime at work. Didn't leave work until 1910!

[tractakid]

Booooo Tangy! missed you!

[Soup Dragon]

Thanks for all who turned up, making this the first event to have more competitors that the 2008 games.
The DLR was up to quite a few tricks which made it a bit difficult for all teams. Sam & I were scuppered at our first change at Shadwell, when a Bank train was pulled out of service due to defective doors. We never really got back on track and finished 40 minutes down on schedule!

The results were as follows:
1. 2:24:29 Kevin, Jamie & Ryan Brown & John Stark.
2. 2:33:06 Andrew Chilcraft
3. 2:34:13 Antony Brown & Sam Cawley
4. DNF Peter Smyth (missed 5 stations)
5. DNF Al Brown (missed more stations)

So Kevin tops the medals table and only me & Glen have a chance to catch him with one event to go.

[Sam]

Thanks to Peter and to Al for aborting leaving me and Antony in 3rd place!! As more and more bad luck happened, we thought we were destined for the wooden spoon.

Even with all the issues, it was a really enjoyable evening, thanks to all who attended

[Going Underground]

We finished 20mins behind schedule and were hoping for a Bronze at best, especially as Peter had been in the pub for sometime

It was incredibly hot and pretty busy in places and I am serioulsy dreading the full network on Thursday

The DLR was indeed in meltdown but it was a good night and special thanks to Sam for providing real Gold Medals

I will keep the route used under wraps as it has potential WR time....

[Sam]

N.B Not real gold, chocolate gold

[tractakid]

We finished 20mins behind schedule and were hoping for a Bronze at best, especially as Peter had been in the pub for sometime

It was incredibly hot and pretty busy in places and I am serioulsy dreading the full network on Thursday

The DLR was indeed in meltdown but it was a good night and special thanks to Sam for providing real Gold Medals

I will keep the route used under wraps as it has potential WR time....

Considering we know you started at Tower Gateway and finished at Beckton, there are only really a couple of sensible routes possible!

Major downer about Tuesday for me was losing my ticket, I realised as I was trying to exit Tower Hill at the end of my dry run. The kind people at the ticket barriers let me through, and suggested I might well be OK for getting home if I showed them the reciept... I spoke to the DLR staff at Tower Gateway and they said that if I had the reciept I would be valid for travel. I spent the time I had spare in Lewisham worrying about what I should do... I ended up buying a £7 Z1-2 ticket which got me through every barrier I needed, but I would have struggled if there had have been a bus for Gallions Reach or I'd have needed to run out of Stratford... thankfully neither became a worry. No bus, and a train immediately out of Stratford. For the journey home, there were thankfully no ticket barriers nor ticket inspectors, if there had have been I would have shown them my reciept and hoped for pity...

Anyway, after an abandoned mouse attempt (getting lost looking for Cannon Street ), I did a scout run of the DLR getting door positions and familiarising myself with where I needed to go. The King George V to Gallions Reach run route is simple, no chance of losing anything but breath. I didn't get everything I needed, but the stuff I didn't get was either not needed or I guessed it perfectly anyway! I also walked through Westfield just in case I needed it, but thankfully I didn't.

Anyway, I only decided which train I was getting on at around 18:20 with a quick input into JP. I aimed to get on the train that would arrive at Greenwich one before the reversing train straight to Stratford. In reality I should probably changed at Canary Wharf, but due to a lack of research into timings I didn't realise that there may have been a quicker change here. Despite potentially being a train down, everything went pretty smoothly up to Stratford. I was on the same train as Peter but only realised when I saw him dashing in front of me to the train heading to Stratford International. The train was a little slow going in and out of Stratford, as the train on the cross platform was out of service, therefore there was no potential for a nippy cross platform departure. The train was a Prince Regent terminator, and I decided against changing at Canning Town to head to Woolwich Arsenal, instead waiting a couple of minutes for the next train which went to Beckton. Beckton was only operating a single platform so again I had to wait for the train to reverse out.

Now for the fun bit- the mad dash to King George V. I was the only one that attempted this run, but it paid off as well as it could have done. After putting a fair effort in (run-walk-run-walk) kinda thing, I was treated to a 1 minute wait for Woolwich Arsenal. Perfect, as I would never have made the train before. Woolwich Arsenal DID have a cross platform, and it was mighty sexy, in, dash across and out within seconds. The train was a Stratford International terminator, so I had to change at Canning Town, which I didn't have a door position for. I'd heard Peter say it was 'middle-ish', so I headed for the middle and got it perfectly right, a mad dash for a Bank train waiting on the platform. Sexy, once again.

Then it collapsed. 15 minutes of waiting once I had 44/45 stations done

5 minutes wait for a District at Monument, and there was no sign of a train having just left. Minor delays on the District line Saw about 3 trains go in the other direction, and of course, there were districts aplenty after the train I got on. Got to Tower Hill, dashed out, ran to Tower Gateway, train leaving the platform as I was half way up the escalator. 10 minute wait, which cost me a gold medal.

Got to the pub and saw Peter sitting there, I was a little disappointed and thought 'I must have been way off'. I was surprised no one else was there, and even more surprised when I had to wait SO LONG for the remaining 2 teams to get there. (I have to get back to MK you know... ) This long wait got my hopes up for a medal, behind Peter of course.

The results were shocking. Hearing Peter DNF was a bamboozling moment, so having heard Sam and Ant were 40 minutes down I thought I was a way ahead of them for a medal. Nope, just 1 and a half minutes. This must mean their route has a stonking good theoretical time.

It was frustrating to hear that missing the Tower Gateway train cost me the gold, but very well done to Kev's team.

Good times in the pub afterwards!

[tangy]

After a bit of a delay, for those who completed, these Olympic times are now on the DLR tab of the Top Times website (link in signature).

[tractakid]

cheers tangster