A SLAM completion!!

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xcooler123
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A SLAM completion!!

Post by xcooler123 »

As no one else has had a crack at it, I thought I would have a go at the SLAM challenge and I am happy to say that earlier on today I completed it!

SLAM Challenge - 94 stations (including Battersea Park and Emirates Greenwich Peninsular)
Start - Kew Gardens
Finish - Morden
Time - 8 hours, 13 minutes and 34 seconds

Report
Starting at Kew Gardens, I caught the first District Line train out to Richmond to catch a train towards Waterloo. I hopped off at Queenstown Road to catch the London Overground train out of Battersea Park at 06:18 only for things to start going wrong. I messed up the change onto the West Croydon/Crystal Palace line and it cost me 15 mins. Nevertheless, I continued down and ended up in West Croydon to discover that my original plan included an unnecessary change, meaning I had made up the lost 15 mins by the time I arrived at Clapham Junction. Oh how I had forgotten what Clapham Junction is like during morning rush hour(!!). Looped up to West Brompton before heading back down to Wimbledon. Misseing a train at West Brompton (more on that later) meant that I thought I had messed up the Tramlink connection at Wimbledon. Sure enough, there was no tram there for another 8 mins when I arrived. However, my luck seemed to change as I left Wimbledon to discover I had just missed a signal failure on the District line between Wimbledon Park and Wimbledon by mere minutes and the Tramlink section was going very smoothly. Completed the Croydon Loop, New Addington branch and Elmers End branch without a hitch and even made it back on schedule... until I hit Arena and everything falls apart (again!). Was expecting a tram to Beckenham Junction to be there or at most no more that about 3 mins away, instead I don't get a tram for another 10 mins :( A 3 min hold at Beckenham Road added insult to injury and meant there was no hope for my original Beckenham Junction connection, therefore I was back to 15 mins behind. Headed back into the city to tick off a few more stations and then headed out towards North Greenwich and the EAL. As I had never done it before and it was glorious sunshine I very much enjoyed it :D. Once back on the ground, completed the Lewisham branch and Woolwich Arsenal before heading out to New Cross. By this point I was now ~30 mins off scheduled time due to out of sync timings, fitness and my lack of knowledge of some stations. Completed the last few LO stations and finally headed out on the Northern line to finish at Morden.

Things I have learnt
1. Fitness, or rather lack of it. I use to do athletics and my body is built to sprint 400m, not run anything over 1km. Adding the fact I had over 7.5km of running in this route and I haven't been running regularly in the last couple of months mad for some very sore legs and lungs... Time to get back on it then!

2. Carriage selection - this cost me at West Brompton. Got into rear one at Clapham Junction forgetting the steps at West Brompton were towards the front of the train :( At rush hour as well, it meant I missed the District line train by seconds. Same thing happened at a few other stations but more for inconvenience rather than having any effect on the route. Now that a dry run has been completed, I should be a lot smoother next time.

Conclusion
To be honest, I am happy to complete a challenge and at least get a time on the board. I reckon that a smooth run and some better route planning could see a time around the 7 hours/7 hours 15 mins mark so if anyone fancies it, there's the target to aim for. I will probably have another attempt at some point but now to look at some more challenges!
David
5 x FNC attempts, Best Tine - 17:25:11 (Comic Relief 2017)
20 x R15, Best Time - 02:02:46
2017/18 & 2018/19 R15 Champion
4 x Alternative Challenge Records (LO, Z1&2, SofT & Compass)
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tangy
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by tangy »

I am happy to put this onto Explorer Ticket, would you like your full name to be displayed? If so just send me email (via Explorer Ticket) or PM me.
Adjudicator of the Alternative Challenges and webmaster of the Tube Challenge "Top Times" website at www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge

This is a Central line train to "Woodford via Hainault"- sadly, not no more!

Tangy.
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by Tube Geek »

I think I have a route that is 5 hours something, but is that impossible?
Personal Best - 264 Stations in 19 hours 37 minutes.

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The Orange One
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by The Orange One »

You are including Croydon Tramlink, Battersea Park by Overground, Kew Gardens/Richmond, North Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal? If so, you may well have a decent route, I won't know.

Only two things in the Tube Challenging world are certain - that Guinness adjudication is suspect and that the All Lines time is unbeatable.
All London buses: 23 hours 25 minutes (with Adham, David, Josh and Tangy)
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by Tube Geek »

Do have to do Battersea Park by Overground and then get out by Overground, or can one of them be NR? If the first one is true, it is closer to 5 1/2 hours
Personal Best - 264 Stations in 19 hours 37 minutes.

COYR
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The Orange One
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by The Orange One »

You have to either arrive or depart by Overground. Remember there are only 3 trains - one departure in the morning at 0618, an arrival at 2257? 2259? Some time around then, and a departure at 2309.

Will you be doing the Emirates Air Line?
All London buses: 23 hours 25 minutes (with Adham, David, Josh and Tangy)
Holds some alternative challenge records. Not sure which ones.
20½ Random 15 challenges: 01:58:48 best
That guy who runs those Twitter polls about tube stations and London Boroughs.
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by Tube Geek »

The Orange One wrote:You have to either arrive or depart by Overground. Remember there are only 3 trains - one departure in the morning at 0618, an arrival at 2257? 2259? Some time around then, and a departure at 2309.

Will you be doing the Emirates Air Line?
Oh, I'll be getting the 0618 departure then. And yes, I have fitted in the Cable Car Dangleway
Personal Best - 264 Stations in 19 hours 37 minutes.

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JBA
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by JBA »

The Orange One wrote:You are including Croydon Tramlink, Battersea Park by Overground, Kew Gardens/Richmond, North Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal? If so, you may well have a decent route, I won't know.

Only two things in the Tube Challenging world are certain - that Guinness adjudication is suspect and that the All Lines time is unbeatable.

Ha, defiantly Hugo. But we will get that record! The team might attempt this soon, but we need a route... That's my Friday afternoon sorted!
Josh Nichols-Ageros
Tube challenging since 2014

Croydon Tramlink Record holder - 01:35:15

"Life's like a Victoria Line train to seven sisters..."
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tangy
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by tangy »

There has finally been a verified SLAM completion (with full journey log).

The target to beat is... 08:09:27 by Aubrey Morandarte, Anthony Gumm and Felix Seward. Completed on 23/07.2016.
Adjudicator of the Alternative Challenges and webmaster of the Tube Challenge "Top Times" website at www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubechallenge

This is a Central line train to "Woodford via Hainault"- sadly, not no more!

Tangy.
xcooler123
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by xcooler123 »

Hmm may set a date in September and see what I can do...

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David
5 x FNC attempts, Best Tine - 17:25:11 (Comic Relief 2017)
20 x R15, Best Time - 02:02:46
2017/18 & 2018/19 R15 Champion
4 x Alternative Challenge Records (LO, Z1&2, SofT & Compass)
DrainBrain
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by DrainBrain »

tangy wrote:There has finally been a verified SLAM completion (with full journey log).

The target to beat is... 08:09:27 by Aubrey Morandarte, Anthony Gumm and Felix Seward. Completed on 23/07.2016.
So did xcooler's previous attempt not count?

Also, do we have a definitive station/tram stop list?
Royal Oak to Bethnal Green in 333 days
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xcooler123
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by xcooler123 »

Soon after this completion we had a clear out of the house and my journey log seemed to have been chucked out in the process. As I could not provide a valid journey log, tangy felt the time shouldn't go on explorerticket which is fair enough. I'll type up a definitive list of stops when I get back to my laptop

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David
5 x FNC attempts, Best Tine - 17:25:11 (Comic Relief 2017)
20 x R15, Best Time - 02:02:46
2017/18 & 2018/19 R15 Champion
4 x Alternative Challenge Records (LO, Z1&2, SofT & Compass)
xcooler123
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Re: A SLAM completion!!

Post by xcooler123 »

To complete a SLAM, you must visit these 94 stations:-

Addington Village, Addiscombe, Ampere Way, Anerley, Arena, Avenue Road, Balham, Battersea Park, Beckenham Junction, Beckenham Road, Beddington Lane, Belgrave Walk, Bermondsey, Birbeck, Blackhorse Lane, Borough, Brixton, Brockley, Canada Water, Centrale, Church Street, Clapham Common, Clapham High Street, Clapham Junction, Clapham NorthClapham South, Colliers Wood, Coombe Lane, Crystal Palace, Cutty Sark, Denmark Hill, Deptford Bridge, Dundonald Road, East Croydon (Tram), East Putney, Elephant & Castle, Elmers End, Elverson Road, Emirates Greenwich Peninsula, Fieldway, Forest Hill, George Street, Gravel Hill, Greenwich, Harrington Road, Honor Oak Park, Kennington, Kew Gardens, King Henry's Drive, Lambeth North, Lebanon Road, Lewisham, Lloyd Park, London Bridge, Merton Park, Mitcham, Mitcham Junction, Morden, Morden Road, New Addington, New Cross, New Cross Gate, North Greenwich, Norwood Junction, Oval, Peckham Rye, Penge West, Phipps Bridge, Queens Road Peckham, Reeves Corner, Richmond, Rotherhithe, Sandilands, South Wimbledon, Southfields, Southwark, Stockwell, Surrey Quays, Sydenham, Therapia Lane, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Vauxhall, Waddon Marsh, Wandle Park, Wandsworth Road, Waterloo, Wellesley Road, West Croydon (LO), West Croydon (Tram), Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park, Woodside, Woolwich Arsenal.

Note that Battersea Park has to be visited by a London Overground service, Emirates Greenwich Peninsular requires a trip on the EAL and West Croydon is 2 separate stations (LO/NR and Tramlink)
David
5 x FNC attempts, Best Tine - 17:25:11 (Comic Relief 2017)
20 x R15, Best Time - 02:02:46
2017/18 & 2018/19 R15 Champion
4 x Alternative Challenge Records (LO, Z1&2, SofT & Compass)
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