Zone 1 Challenge: Test Run Results

Zone 1, Alphabet, All Lines - discuss them here
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CrunchySaviour
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Zone 1 Challenge: Test Run Results

Post by CrunchySaviour »

I tested my Zone 1 Challenge route today, alone. I found it was not as lonely as it could have been!

The route was a theoretical 2hrs 57mins.

The current "record", held by (EDIT) STEVE Paull (sorry Steve), stands at 2hrs 55mins 50sec.

My route took....
Drumroll please.........

Three hours, no minutes, and forty-one seconds.
That's 3:00:41. How close is that?!
Answer: Close, but not close enough. Close enough o put me in 4th place last year, had I run last year.

I was impressed (may I say so) with my route planning, in that I was never mor than 5 or 6 minutes ahead of or behind schedule. I'm going to draw a graph.

Jumping out of a train at Paddington, I slipped on the floor at the bottom of a staircase and nearly fell over - but I stayed up. I did, however, drop my pen. Someone shouted, "You've dropped your pen!" but I didn't quite hear them, and it didn't matter since I had a spare one. The ensuing run along the station concourse was one of my favourite parts of the journey.

I was delayed at Aldgate. The Metropolitan line was completely broken and not going anywhere, so I had to wait a good while for a Circle line train. Thanks Aldgate..... Thaldgate.
I was delayed at Bayswater. Nobody told me the southbound platform was closed!!!! More careful observation of "changes to your journey" is required, methinks. I had to doubleback at Paddington.

Other than that, changes were relatively good. I decided not to wait for a lift at one station, and was half-knackered reaching the top of the steps out of the station.
I had to wait for a lift at another station, which added about 3 minutes.
I foolishly used a lift at another station, when I could have used the stairs.

My Aldgate-Aldgate East run was not good. I used the underpass at the roundabout when I could have avoided that.

And to rub the nail on the head, so to speak, the announcer kindly announced that the next station was my finishing station RIGHT ON THE 3-HOUR MARK, to the second.

However, I was 5 to 6 minutes ahead of schedule during the first 40 minutes of the journey thanks to some reasonable changes (thanks, changes.... thanges). Therefore, I am confident that with another try, I can beat the current record.

I wore a dust mask which had only 2 days use, and after the challenge it had got noticeably more grey. I look forward to starting a brand new one on May 20th. In addition, I wore a white lab coat, making me look a bit like a ghost, I suppose.

My cheap trainers are holding up very well. Thanks, Decathlon.
Thecathlon.

I'll pencil in next Weds for a re-run, with amendments.

Could anyone enlighten me what proof Tubeguru wants, in order to have a "new record" time for the Zone 1 challenge put on the Tubechallenge site?
I wrote down some of the numbers on the fronts of the trains, but in some cases I had to write the carriage number (96840 or whatever). I also wrote the time at which each station was arrived at and departed from. I didn't get any pictures with datestamp - I'm not sure how to do that on my camera. I could figure it out for next time.
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petermiller36
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Post by petermiller36 »

hello fellow Lutonian. I recently posted the second best time for the All Lines Challenge and I asked Tube Guru if I needed to write down the train numbers and times. he advised that the answer was simply a "no". this is due to the fact that the "alternative challenges" are just a bit of fun. this may of course change on the day of the Zone 1 challenge. but in the mean time I guess its just a bit of fun. its all done on trust of course. i wonder whether a unknown new comer could post a good time and get away with it?!
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

Hmm, indeed. A Lutonian "thanks" for the info Peter. Theter.

I have a horrible fear of completing the challenge only to find that I was 2 seconds out, or something. Ah well. Maybe next week.
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Yorkie
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Post by Yorkie »

Guinnes world records may use the train numbers to perform checks, but i doubt that tubeguru does.
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Post by tubeguru »

Indeed, tubeguru does not require such proofs as he can't very well go to LU and ask them nicely to hand over the paperwork for said day so he can check it!

The whole thing is taken on trust. That's what life's all about. So no cheating, you little tinkers :-)

Although some pictures would be nice if people can manage them.
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

Well, I'll be trying the challenge again tomorrow, same route. Hopefully the Bayswater Abjuncture won't be forced into play this time, since I've checked for knip and the station should be diagonally positive in both directions under the Acton Amendment, 1989.

Hopefully, that is.

I shan't be taking pictures but I'll write some train numbers down in case anyone challenges my blisteringly fast, "record"-breaking time.

Again, I'll be in lab coat and dust mask, and maybe trainers, so if you want to look out for me you'll know what I look like. I'll be like a speeding ghost.
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lazza747

Post by lazza747 »

Why the lab coat exaxctly?

Surely men in lab coats should be chasing you ...
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

The lab coat provides adequate warmth while being light and easy to move in, for the winter months.

It doesn't matter, anyway... there's severe delays today on the District, Hammersmith and Northern lines. Bugger. I'll try anyway!
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

OK everyone, I just did Zone 1 again.

There's some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that I had 7 excellent changes in a row (trains at platforms or just arriving).

The bad news is that the District, Circle and Northern lines were delayed thanks to some signalling ineptitude or something, and the Hammersmith line had a reduced service. Some of these factors prevented me from ever getting ahead of schedule (well, I was a head at 2 stations but it doesn't count) following a pair of bad changes on the District line.

Here's the time.

2:59:05

Faster than my previous attempt, but still not a new record.

Platform train waiting times, in minutes, ranged from 0 to 4 minutes, averaging around 1 and a half minutes.

There was a LONG wait of about 10 minutes in a tunnel on the way to Earl's Court. This meant that a 5-station stretch took me 20 minutes when it should have taken 10. One particular Central line stretch saw me keep to schedule to the minute, and a good change put me 5 minutes ahead of schedule (a potential 2h 52m run!) but that soon "messed up" alright.

I was blessed at Aldgate East to see a Hammersmith train pull in as I arrived: as a "reduced service" this was like the golden dust of a hen's tooth. One inter-station run was, as usual, knackering. The lifts I had to wait for during the attempt were there as I arrived. It was busier than usual owing to the terribly delayed District "service".

The weather was horrible, I was lonelier than usual and the dust mask is almost the blackest I've ever seen one following 2 weeks' use and 2 Tube Challenges (about 20 hours total).

Maybe again tomorrow...
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lazza747

Post by lazza747 »

Aww, you poor man - having to run round the tube in cold freezing weather and get delayed all the time.

Don't worry - I know exactly how you feel. At least you didn't have time to suffer a nervous breakdown like me :-)

I must give tubeguru a kick up the arse and get him to update all these times people are boasting about all over this forum. *ahem*
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hwolge
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Post by hwolge »

Well done! Only 28 secs slower than us - the ignorant Swedes...

This makes me realize how lucky we probably were, though...

HÃ¥kan
:) Three times Zone 1 Challenge winner :)
:) Official record holder in the 2008 Guinness Book of Records, pg 199 :)
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

lazza747 wrote:Aww, you poor man - having to run round the tube in cold freezing weather and get delayed all the time.

Don't worry - I know exactly how you feel. At least you didn't have time to suffer a nervous breakdown like me :-)

I must give tubeguru a kick up the "posterior" and get him to update all these times people are boasting about all over this forum. *ahem*
Oops - maybe that was a little insensitive! I completely forgot your hours of toil, Neil. Sorry.

I put a post in the Suggestions bit asking to update the site with a non-challenge-day page for the zone 1 challenge.

Hakan - you were VERY lucky! All manner of lines could have been delayed and you, too, could have sat in tunnels for a long while. I envy you.
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lazza747

Post by lazza747 »

I don't want sympathy, I want to kick your a$$
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

I was thinking of doing another attempt today, but again, there is an absolute ton of delays. Maybe next week, unless all the delays resolve themselves by 1 o'clock...
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Post by CrunchySaviour »

Well, I was going to try again today so I told my bone-idle useless mates to meet me at the starting station, and I waited and waited and eventually went outside and phoned them and they said they couldn't be arsed.

So I decided that I couldn't be arsed either, and was hungry and tired and all that, so I went home.
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