R15 Championship 2012/13: Round 6

[tractakid]

So we basically have to do a double Zone 1 looking for Andi travelling in both directions, as well as venturing to the random zone 2 stations that also come out. Seems a little unreasonable, and it relies a lot on luck...

[joy54]

So we basically have to do a double Zone 1 looking for Andi travelling in both directions, as well as venturing to the random zone 2 stations that also come out. Seems a little unreasonable, and it relies a lot on luck...

Haha - challenge could end up as a 6 hour-er. Double Z1 to get Andi within his 4 hour window and then another couple of hours to finish off Z2. Think this my need a little tweaking...

[tractakid]

you either travel each line in each direction, or alight at every station to check the other platform...

[tangy]

Andi did suggest this twist to me last night in the and have been thinking about it today.

My thoughts are that these twists are getting too complicated and I think we have enough variations from our various pool of twists already. I don't mind adding the DLR and/or NLR onto it or adding an extra zone/s to spice things up. I already have ideas as to what the twists are for next season- one of which will be one not attempted before.

Surely the fun of these Random 15 stations is the tearing open of the envelope and spontanious planning as you go of the 14 stations you need to visit- which does sometimes produces some off the cuff decisions which go wayward!

So am sorry Andi, I am going to veto this twist as I feel this will detract from the simple and fun challenge the R15 championship should be about. I liked your Zone 4 idea last year, did enjoy that challenge.

Tangy
The BERC

[palkanetoijala31]

ok i will go back and rethink some ideas out and get back to ur mr berc

[greatkingrat]

I think any twist that can't be explained in one sentence probably isn't worth bothering with.

[tractakid]

I think any twist that can't be explained in one sentence probably isn't worth bothering with.

Perhaps an over-generalisation, but there is some truth in that statement.

[hopeful traveller]

I still want one point from Saturday which you haven't given to me, you BERC!

[tangy]

I still want one point from Saturday which you haven't given to me, you BERC!

Why should I award points to someone who did not complete the full circuit? You did not visit Camden so you do not get awarded points.

On that basis someone could just simply depart the start station and abandon and still get points, points will only be awarded to those challengers that complete all 15 stations unless a station is totally inaccessible due to line suspension.

Andi's award of 3 points in an earlier round is a different case. He did visit all the stations on the list except he didn't use any ELL trains (or shared tracks) to visit NXG. Andi visited NXG by SN from London Bridge and returned same way, I (as sub-Berc then) ruled him disqualified for this but scrxisi thought differently.

[greatkingrat]

I agree with Rhys on this one, points have always been awarded in the past when teams did not finish all the stations. For example, Myles visited 13 stations in Round 4 and he got points for that round.

[tractakid]

I think Rhys should get 1 point. He only aborted without knowledge of the time limit rule change. He was under the impression that at 4 hours, he had to abort. He only found this was not the case after aborting.

[A2]

Well that was a fun day (even if I do still ache despite doing very little running) and nice to be able to set what I consider to be a respectable time.

My route was much the same as several other people:

Camden South - (Elephant & Castle) - Lambeth North - (Waterloo) - Bank - Monument - Aldgate East - Whitechapel - (Dalston Junction) - (Highbury & Islington) - (Finsbury Park) - Holloway Road - (Kings Cross St Pancras) - Camden Town - (Warren Street) - (Victoria) - (Gloucester Road [ok... I know now that this was a bad idea]) - (Hammersmith) - (Wood Lane) - (White City) - East Acton [and a minor panic that I was doubling back a station too early] - Shepherds Bush - Queensway [and up the stairs ] - (Bayswater) - (Paddington District/Circle) - (Paddington Bakerloo) - Warwick Avenue - Paddington H&C [on foot... got lost on my way to Royal Oak] - (Edgware Road [finish])

Hope to be back for another challenge with less of a gap than 5 years this time!

A2 / Andrew

[hopeful traveller]

Well... that was awful.

I tore open the envelope and I saw Barons Court on the list. Immediately I thought south rather than northbound. Lambeth North first was not an option for me. The start was decent, with a sexy change between South Wimbledon and Wimbledon. Apart from when I got lost. At Wimbledon, I was told the train on platform 1 would leave first, only for the train on platform 4 to depart first, costing me five minutes. A sexy change at Earl's Court and a brilliant driver at Barons Court who opened and shut his doors several times on the eastbound platform at Barons Court in order to let everyone on were my only pieces of good fortune from there.

The return trip to Earl's Court was slow, laboured, and at Earl's Court, I just missed the District, having to wait three minutes for the next one. Victoria tube station was packed to the rafters, and the train operator was rushing carelessly, shutting his doors way too prematurely. I did squeeze on, though, as did 10 or so others. At Green Park, I just made a Jubilee... which waited in the platform for another minute or so. I can't go without giving a special mention to the lovely group of women here. We all wanted to get off at Bond Street. I said 'excuse me, please', and she replied, saying that she was getting off here too. I then said I was in a competition and the women darted out of the way.

Bond Street to Central was another train missed by 10 seconds or so. Waiting for two minutes and I got on the train that was packed. Again. However, they all got off at Notting Hill Gate. Phew. Breathe again. East Acton double back was awful as well, as I missed yet another train by 5-10 seconds. I had to wait one minute for, yes, you guessed it, a Woodford via Hainault.

White City to Wood Lane run was good, and I think I keep getting better at the short distance runs. This one ended in a sexy change. Staying on this train to Paddington (H&C/Cir), I bumped into Peter and Tangy at Royal Oak. Tangy and I did the Paddington - Paddington run. I don't know where he went to, but I went to a decent Northbound Bakerloo. Warwick Avenue, where I had to wait five minutes for a train, was agonising. Ran down the entire length of the Bakerloo to Elephant & Castle, and another useless, never-ending one-minute for a Northbound Northern Line. Ran Bank to Monument, where I vetoed doing the Aldgate run in order to buy a drink, as I was dehydrated at this point. The station staff at Monument were horrible. They called a man to the ticket office because his shoelaces were undone! They almost called me to the ticket office as I mistakenly went up the exit only route when getting a drink, but they called me as I was departing the station. And besides, he was more distracted by a man standing 'not far enough away' from the yellow line. And, trust me, he was quite far back!

Tower Hill, and a quick hop onto an Upminster which took me to Whitechapel. Then, disaster. I started by doing the double back on a District (no H&C in sight). Got to Aldgate East and did the run this time. Arrived at Aldgate, where trains were not going anywhere. Stuck on a stationary Circle line train for 20 minutes, it then went from bad to worse, as when we left Aldgate, we stopped in the tunnel at a red signal and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. ANOTHER 20 minutes after the second stoppage, we pulled into Liverpool Street. I was sensible enough (as was the entire train) to bail for the Central line as an alternative way of getting to King's Cross. This was a good change. At Holborn, I got a Piccadilly to Finsbury Park, then came back on the Victoria. The plan was to go to Euston and then get the Northern to Camden Town, but at Highbury & Islington, I hit 4 hours. And not being informed until it was too late, I aborted.

I shall be claiming my money back from TFL on this one.

[tractakid]

Having an almost identical route to the winner, it is unbelievable how different the times recorded were. Glen's final gambit going via Edgware Road C/D wasn't in my plan, which probably would have pipped me, but I should have been close behind.

Indeed, I basically kept up with the large group that was together until Warren Street. Slight variations occurred up until this point, but I went Clapon South, E+C, Waterloo, Drain to Bank, (some people forgot about this opportunity!), the HORRENDOUS, WORST interchange to the District Line eastbound platforms... I reckon the signposted route is less than optimal. Managed to catch up with everyone else, as I believe a circle then a Tower Hill came first. I decided to board the Tower Hill, crossing the bridge, rather than wait, just because I could. All back together heading north on the ELL, it was humorous seeing Andi's NLL train race against our ELL train!

Opting against an unknown run to me, I double backed via Finsbury Park. Caught up again at Euston.

Nearly followed the wrong crowd- those heading to GPS at Warren Street. Actually joined Glen and A2 going down to Victoria. A bad door position for South Kensington (I remembered the exit one!) meant I missed a Piccadilly Line train that Glen caught- his winning manoevre. A train down at Hammersmith meant I was still with A2, who made a silly decision and changed at Gloucester Road.

Nice change after the Wood Lane/White City run.

then I became an idiot- and it cost me big time. I doubled back at North Acton- when it was East Acton that was required. The knock on effect was a missed train at Bayswater, and due to the reduced Wimble(putneybridge)ware service, I hit the 10 minute gap between trains. After running the Paddington run for the 2nd time in 2 days, this time the ramp route, I arrived and heard, after a couple of minutes, my westbound train was 18 minutes away! This was due to severe disruption, which also affected Rhys. I really should have gone with my other thought, running Queensway to Royal Oak! This forced me to divert westbound, via Baker Street, in order to get to Warwick Avenue in a disastrous time.

I did not do very well this season. Only competing in 4 rounds didn't help, but I hope that as I become more experienced, I get better at on the spot decision making. And knowing which stations to visit.

[tangy]

Since this was the last round of the 2012/13 championship in which scrxisi was overall BERC until the last round, the rules that he operated under will be honoured for round six, so Rhys will get a +1 for his attempt. Sorry, Rhys for the incorrect information regarding the time limit relayed to you by Kev, my mistake therefore as below, you do qualify for a +1.

When next season starts off I will be operating a bit different. In Andi's case at NXG (for example) this would have resulted in a DSQ as he failed to visit one of the required stations in the correct manner i.e by using ELL trains (or shared tracks with ELL services). The result would be zero points being scored for that round, the same applies if you visit the wrong station (i.e Padd H&C rather than Circle/Bakerloo) as again you failed to visit the 15 stations as listed. If you realise your mistake and correct it within the time limit then full points will be awarded.

Points will be awarded if you fail to complete the 15 stations for reasons outside your control (i.e line suspension, severe delays, sudden illness etc.) meaning you run out of time before visiting all the stations. The time limit on a no twists Z1-2 is 4 hours (twist rounds will have an applicable amount of extra time added as advised).

Hope this makes the situation clearer for next season.