Random 15 Championship 2014/15: Round 5

[nozzacook]

Gutted I won't be there have a great R15 folks.

[The Orange One]

I will be there! Make that a definite on my part.

[RJSRdg]

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this afternoon's adventure even if my result was probably best glossed over... After an iffy start - I even wondered if I might be disqualified for not taking a train from Euston until I had the nous to check the rules using my phone - and going over half an hour before visiting my first station (I think several of you had got two done before I'd even found them all on the map!) when I managed the first half in under three hours (which I assumed to be a par time) and the full 15 in an hour and a half less than the allotted time, I thought I might have done better than that! But still an excellent afternoon and I look forwards to doing another one as other weekend commitments allow.

The rest of the day wasn't entirely unproductive either as I managed to test a number of interchanges in case I do a FNC later in the year! (Most seemed to fit the times I'd allowed for them). However having got lost something like six times before the challenge started(!) - including an impressive wrong turn outside North Harrow station in the morning - and several more wrong turnings on the way home (I think the challenge itself was about the only time I went where I was intending to!) maybe the rules need amending in my case to:

"Be considerate of other users of the network - they may know the network *better* than me!"

[palkanetoijala31]

I will await the results of this challenge but if i got my results right with the dropped points rule my getting rid of the shadow has made the championship very interesting going into final round.!

[The Orange One]

Yes, the championship does look to be a close one, and the win could go to any one of four people (mathematically). I will wait for the results to expand on this statement.

I was considering teaming up with someone for this one, but since 9 of my changes were train on platform ready to depart, having someone else along with me might not have been such a good idea.

[palkanetoijala31]

Yes, the championship does look to be a close one, and the win could go to any one of four people (mathematically). I will wait for the results to expand on this statement.

I was considering teaming up with someone for this one, but since 9 of my changes were train on platform ready to depart, having someone else along with me might not have been such a good idea.

may i suggest that next round you dont team andrew chilcraft glen or myself

[leamfarrar]

I'll wait for the winning route to go up, or the results before I post my route. However, I will say that yesterday was probably the most fun. I had a good time yesterday and was pretty thrilled with my time overall, and was quite surprised that I have more stations that I can actually use the escalators at, which is helping me with my fear of heights greatly. Looking forward to the next one as well as the Zone 1 challenge in late May

[RJSRdg]

For information, here's the route and times for the losing route!

ENVELOPE 1

Euston (start) 12:35
GOLDHAWK ROAD (via Euston Square) 13:05
EAST PUTNEY:13:30 (Via Hammersmith)
PICCADILLY CIRCUS: 13:59
CHANCERY LANE:14:09
STEPNEY GREEN (via Liverpool Street): 14:27
BROMLEY BY BOW: 14:33
CALEDONIAN ROAD (via Stratford & NLL): 15:11
EUSTON: 15:23 (re-visited as I did not depart from here by train).

ENVELOPE 2

OLD STREET: 15:35
OVAL: 15:48
VAUXHALL: 15:55
WESTMINSTER: 16:04
WEST BROMPTON:16:28
EDGWARE RD (Bakerloo): 16:50
ST JOHN'S WOOD: 16:58

Total Time: 4:23:44:16

[palkanetoijala31]

about time we had some results for this!

[nozzacook]

Cmon tangy the bus would have got the results here quicker.

[palkanetoijala31]

by now the once a week bus would have got here quicker than the results i think perhaps time for a new BERC election.

[nozzacook]

I nominate Andi any seconders

[The Raven]

Second!

[nozzacook]

Any objections

[leamfarrar]

While everyone is talking of elections, I'll get away from my actual work for a moment and post up my route and my analysis of my day. I'll leave the analysis of the whole day to the results when they are posted, but for someone from Australia on his second attempt at the R15 championship, I think I did pretty well and I'm starting to navigate my way more around the network, and seeing more of Zone 1 in all of my travels (I think if I combined all the times I've been to London since I got here, I'm up to 126 stations). I didn't keep the times that I arrived at each station as I was just more concerned with getting to all 15 as quick as I could. I would say I am pretty impressed with it all, and even with the twist; it was a good time for me, and a big improvement on last time as I got points this time and almost cracked the top 5. Now, for my route:-

First Envelope
START: Euston... to Kings Cross St. Pancras (change to Piccadilly)
Kings Cross St. Pancras to Caledonian Road (change platforms)
Caledonian Road to Holborn (change to Central)
Holborn to Chancery Lane (stay on train)
Chancery Lane to Mile End (change to District)
Mile End to Bromley-By-Bow (change platforms)
Bromley-By-Bow to Stepney Green (stay on train)
Stepney Green to Embankment (change to Bakerloo)
Embankment to Piccadilly Circus (change to Piccadilly)
Piccadilly Circus to Earls Court (change to District)
Earls Court to East Putney (change platforms)
East Putney to Earls Court (change for Richmond/Ealing Broadway bound District)
Earls Court to Hammersmith (change for Hammersmith & City/Circle)
Hammersmith to Goldhawk Road

Second Envelope
For reference, I had already decided prior to this that regardless of what stations were on the list, I was going to stay on the train at Goldhawk Road and at least go to Paddington, giving me a few stations, including the slowdown at Royal Oak, to do some planning, Edgware Road (Bakerloo) worked into my hands on this one, I was glad that Hammersmith (H&C/C) was not on the list

(stay on train) Goldhawk Road to Edgware Road (H&C) (walk to Edgware Road (Bakerloo))
Edgware Road (Bakerloo) to Baker Street (change to Jubilee)
Baker Street to St. Johns Wood (change platforms)
St. Johns Wood to Westminster (stay on train)
Westminster to London Bridge (change to Northern)
London Bridge to Old Street (change platforms)
Old Street to Oval (stay on train)
Oval to Stockwell (change to Victoria)
Stockwell to Vauxhall (stay on train
Vauxhall to Victoria (change to District)
Victoria to West Brompton (FINISH)

TOTAL TIME: 3hr 55min 06 secs

I did make a minor mistake as I ended up on the wrong platform at Euston to begin with, so I lost a little bit of time doing that and then back-tracking to the right platform (I ended up on the platform towards Mornington Cresent instead of Kings Cross), and ending up at Goldhawk Road for the reveal of the second envelope, when most had it at East Putney and were able to easily pick up West Brompton on their return, and my trip to West Brompton ended up being with a train full of Chelsea supporters (which was interesting, as I'm a Chelsea supporter myself). I had contemplated doing the Waterloo & City line after picking up Westminster to try and get to Old Street quicker, but it was much easier to change at London Bridge than navigate around Waterloo. Also didn't help at Earls Court on my return after East Putney that I missed a Richmond-bound train by about 2 seconds (I got to the bottom of the stairs as the doors closed)... but hey; it was a fun day!

Very much looking forward to the Zone 1 Challenge next month and the next R15 championship. I know I got no chance of winning the title, but I'm just having a lot of fun learning so much about the underground. I've found more stations that I can actually use than I had planned or had see with images and 3D maps, and I'm getting much better at the escalators around the network (just don't ask me to get out or start at Angel just yet...) but I've learnt so much more than I had researched prior and it is amazing. Can't wait for the Zone 1 Challenge