Random 15 Championship 2013/14: Round 3

[The Orange One]

Wembley Stadium to Central run sounds good. Paddington NR is just as bad.

[MylesHSG]

I'll be there tomorrow.

[Going Underground]

I'll be there tomorrow.

Looks like we are well into double figures

Although my journey is going to take ages as the trains are not running through from Feltham to London, there's a bit of a diversion

[greatkingrat]

Tangy
The Raven
The Orange One (maybe)
nozzacook
GU
tractakid
TMOTT (confirmed tomorrow as I'm attempting to get day off work)
A2
DrainBrain
hopeful traveller
MylesHSG
greatkingrat

[DrainBrain]

Looks like we are well into double figures

Although my journey is going to take ages as the trains are not running through from Feltham to London, there's a bit of a diversion

Not bad for a stormy Saturday in January.

The line between Petersfield and Haslemere is closed after landslips, so no fast train for me. Will probably drive to Guildford and get the train from there.

[palkanetoijala31]

i defo wont be joining you as i got up far too late and the cost is too much for 2 consecutive days out looking at the weather i think i made a wise decision.

if south bermondsey comes out of the hat if anybody is stuck getting to bermondsey i gladly help

[hopeful traveller]

Jackson can't be there as work called him at 11pm last night to cancel his day off!

[hopeful traveller]

Is it anything appearing on this map?

[tangy]

Yes, it is commonly known as the "London Connections Map" which you can get in print form at most NR stations (may need to ask the ticket clerk). I will bring a few to today's event.

[hopeful traveller]

Yes, it is commonly known as the "London Connections Map" which you can get in print form at most NR stations (may need to ask the ticket clerk). I will bring a few to today's event.

I've printed one out, thank heaven. I'm going in blind, I'll be lucky to get 1 point!

[palkanetoijala31]

well i hope you done get south bermondsey come out in it lol

[tractakid]

Shame I missed everyone at the pub today. This means I missed out on everybody's route so I'd be grateful if people could share their routes on the forum!

Route: Lancaster gate, run to Paddington H&C, Hammersmith, district to Acton Town, picc to Earls Court, Wimbledon, Clapham Junction, Balham, London Bridge, St Johns, New Cross, run to New Cross Gate, Whitechapel to Farringdon, Thameslink to St Pancras, Picc to Caledonian Road, run to Caledonian Road and Barnsbury, no service, run back, Finsbury Park, Walthamstow Central, Hackney Downs, run to Hackney Central, still no service, bus to Dalston Junction, Highbury and Islington, Euston, Milton Keynes Central.

Stupid North London Line. It was going well until then!

[The Orange One]

I believe Tangy's route involved New Cross to London Bridge via Goldhawk Road.

Mine was:

Oxford Circus St Pancras International Farringdon via Thameslink King's Cross St Pancras via Circ/H&C Caledonian Road and Barnsbury via 17 bus Hackney Central Hackney Downs Clapton Hackney Downs via 106 bus Liverpool Street Aldgate Aldgate East Whitechapel New Cross Gate New Cross via 53 bus St Johns London Bridge Clapham Common East Putney via 345, 87 and 337 buses Earls Court Notting Hill Gate Lancaster Gate White City Wood Lane Hammersmith Turnham Green

Points of Interest:
1) Almost got the train to St Albans - wanted to head to Kentish Town, KT West and the LO. Went to the northbound platform - 3 minutes, and spent two of those waiting before I noticed this was direct to St Albans, and went to the southbound platform instead.
2) Sexy change at Farringdon
3) Met Rhys at CR&B
4) Got lost in Hackney - I knew it was head down the ramp, turn left, go up the road and turn left at the lights. At the lights, I took the wrong left.
5) Met Tangy on the GA to Clapton
6) Met Rhys on the GA to Liverpool St
7) Just missed a Clapham Junction at Whitechapel - the curse of CLJ strikes again.
40 second doubleback at St Johns
9) Nightmare between Clapham Common and East Putney took 50 minutes
10) How the Central line works: There's always a train in platform when you arrive - it depends whether you make it through the closing doors or not. And it's always a loop train unless you need one.

I finished within 15 minutes of my last R15 time.

[hopeful traveller]

Ridiculous, this was. Utterly ridiculous.

Stations to visit:

Oxford Circus
Aldgate East
St. John's
Hammersmith (Cir/H&C)
Canonbury
New Cross
Clapham Common
Putney Bridge
London Bridge (Underground)
Caledonian Road & Barnsbury
St. Pancras International
Lancaster Gate
New Cross Gate
Clapton
Turnham Green

I saw this list and debated with myself. Luckily I had Rhys Jackson on the other end of my phone researching for me!! I boarded a Northbound Victoria Line train after I found out St. Pancras International, Canonbury, and Caledonian Road & Barnsbury was on the list, but as I was going through Euston I decided not to do St. Pancras International now, and instead fanny about with the Overground. I got off at Highbury & Islington, and as the train I was on departed, I had a man, running for the train, shout "****!" right in front of my face. I quietly whispered under my breath "no thanks", and this was when the long ol' waits started.

4 minutes for a train - ANY TRAIN - out of H&I. 9 minutes for the return trip at Canonbury. ANOTHER 9 minutes for the other return trip at Caledonian Road & Barnsbury. At least I made the train at Highbury & Islington back on to the Victoria. Services from Tottenham Hale were suspended to went to Walthamstow Central, or, as the Victoria Line called it, "Waltzamstow Central" (go home, you're drunk!). An 8 minute wait for a train through Clapton to Liverpool Street was OK considering the trains there were at 15 minute intervals, I could cope, but at Liverpool Street the nightmare started.

Ran to the Westbound subsurface platform at Liverpool Street and discovered a blank indicator board! Panicked, before a Circle Line train turned up. A C Stock's okay but not as good as a nice shiny S Stock. Obviously. At Farringdon, my plan was to get out and get a Thameslink train, doubling back to St. Pancras International. Although practically getting in it before leaving, I couldn't get in the train, so ran round back to the subsurface, hoping to run to St. Pancras, but I missed the subsurface I'd just got off. I wobbled between the two... and picked up the Metropolitan Line. Then I got lost at St. Pancras. Oh dear.

FARRINGDON
Arrival: 1401
Departure: 1406

KING'S CROSS
Arrival: 1411
Departure: n/a

ST. PANCRAS
Arrival: n/a
Departure: 1424

Ouch.

Eventually I ended up on the Thameslink to London Bridge, where I changed for the Northern Line to Bank/Monument. Got the District Line to Whitechapel, and just missed an overground train down to NXG. Eventually another one came, and I lost a good 7 minutes after waits at Whitechapel and Surrey Quays, and on the train to NXG I didn't know if New Cross was in the same ticket barrier or not. I decided I'd do it on LO and NR to make sure, so another 4 minutes at Surrey Quays down the drain, but a good change at New Cross, and I made a great decision now in my view.

Stayed on the NR train to Lewisham, and got a non-stop train to London Bridge directly back in! Epic win! At London Bridge for the second time, except this time I went south to Clapham Common, where, doubling back, I met Tangy. I said I had, as Tangy put it, "blah blah blah blah and Hammersmith H&C", at which point I'd learnt Tangy had misread and had gone to Paddington!

Then I got off at Clapham North, got the Overground to Clapham Junction, and had to run to Platform 16 to get a train to West Brompton. Down to Putney Bridge, up the Wimbleware, right, left, down, and left, and done.

[tangy]

What an eventful challenge it turned out to be, especially with the NLL overhead wiring being troublesome throughout the afternoon and missed connections by seconds... more of which later!

The stations were:
--Oxford Circus (meet up)
--Aldgate East
--St. Johns
--Hammersmith H&C
--Canonbury
--New Cross
--Clapham Common
--Putney Bridge
--London Bridge (LU)
--Caledonian Road & Barnsbury
--St. Pancras International
--Lancaster Gate
--New Cross Gate
--Clapton
--Turnham Green

There was 11 challengers in 9 teams:

8th=: Andrew Chilcraft: 14 stations completed in 04:41:28 (did not visit Caledonian Road & Barnsbury)
8th=: Myles Swaine-Grey: 14 stations completed in 04:19:39 (did not visit Caledonian Road & Barnsbury)
7th: Rhys Benjamin finishing at Turnham Green in 05:19:35 (4 points)
6th: Tangy finishing at Surrey Quays in 05:16:44 (5 points)
4th=: Glen Bryant finishing at Caledonian Road & Barnsbury in 05:01:51 (7 points)
4th=: Kevin Brown and Damian Cook finishing at Caledonian Road & Barnsbury in 05:01:51 (7 points)
3rd: Andrew Baker and Nick Gardner finishing at Highbury & Islington in 04:58:14 (8 points)
2nd: Peter Smyth finishing at Caledonian Road & Barnsbury in 04:29:48 (10 points)
1st: The Orange One finishing at Turnham Green in 04:07:26 (12 points)

Therefore the leaderboard now looks like this:

1st: Peter Smyth: 34 points
2nd=: Kevin Brown: 27 points
2nd=: Damian Cook: 27 points
4th: Nick Gardner: 22 points
5th: Glen Bryant: 19 points
6th=: Andrew Chilcraft: 16 points
6th=: Tangy: 16 points
8th: Andrew Baker: 15 points
9th: The Orange One: 14 points
10th: Rhys Benjamin: 13 points
11th: Rhys Jackson: 9 points
12th: Ashley Moore: 4 points

Thanks for all that partook in this challenge and a date for round 4 of the season will be discussed in a new post (should be mid-to-late February to keep it even).