Geoff's Tube 14 - 4th July 2011 (To the trains!)

[tangy]

Unit 3086 (the experimental layout one) was the best of the lot

[snudge27]

I never saw that one. What was different about it?

[greatkingrat]

Was that the one with the perch seats?

[Garion]

Ah yeah I remember Tangy saying something about this. Was it the one with perch seats? Something about more capacity.

[The Raven]

Well done

Can't wait to read the write up.

[tangy]

I never saw that one. What was different about it?

Unit 3086 was different in many ways, the most obvious difference was in the trailer coaches where the middle section in between the two sets of double doors had perch seats beside the doors.

In the motor/cab coaches the 2x2 bay seats were not really two by two but more like 1 and a halfx1 and a half, you could not fit two adults on them! This had the effect of increasing standing room around the doors (the experimental layout of this unit must have been a success as units such as the 95 stock feature perch seats as standard).

As it was a custom unit with shorter sideways seating bays (due to the perch seats) the standard 67 stock line diagram (above the seats) would not fit this unit and special ones had to be made specially! Similarily getting replacements for the interior of this unit was also difficult as parts had to made or cut down to fit.

[Sam]

ps. It is my belief more than ever that fitness is key. Sam, I'm not trying to antagonise you, but I really would like to know if you do still think that doing it all using buses/short runs really is possible. Anthony and me ran practically the entire length of Cockfosters/High Barnet yesterday - only got a bus for ONE stop on that whole stretch! Which is probably why my leg muscles today are extremely sore ...

I'm the one with a 16:27 route on paper

[Nigel]

The beauty of this sport is that it is so unpredictable.

On both of my two attempts at a full network for the first half of the day there was a nominal 'good service'. On my first attempt (which deliberately started at a time which could not produce a record) until the late afternoon I was consistently making zero and negative time interchanges, despite having to find emergency loo stops whenever I could. In fact I was beginning to worry that as I had publicised in advance that I would be tweeting and as a relatively unknown newcomer, people might think I was some kind of deluded fantasist making it all up as I went along from the comfort of my armchair at home. On my second attempt, the first couple of hours went to timetable, then I went through a succession of just missed connections, timetabled trains failing to show, so that within the space of about just over three hours I went from being sub-world record pace to not being sure I could complete, and so decided to abandon less than half way through. So I've learnt that what happens in reality and what happens on paper are two different things entirely.

Reagrding Geoff catching an S stock for the first time on a challenge - amazingly on both these attempts I travelled on S stock, as I did (without any pre-planning) on each occasion I went on reconnaissance trips on the Met line (even though when I started these it was only February and I think S stock was very rare then).

[palkanetoijala31]

From a retired tube challenger i would rather not get into the discussion of what people can achieve all i will say is that you all have a hell of a target to beat if u think its going to be easy!I know the physical aspects of what Marc did its around the same pace as myself so i know what he is capable of!.

Sam believes in her way is best geoff believes in support and now fitness is the key either way you both didnt get the job done in those 17months and now you have a harder target which makes your job harder in my view.

good luck to you all in your attempts.ps do i understand that this to the trains can be used by any tube challenger to twitter.?

[palkanetoijala31]

Oh for goodness sake ...

Andi, as Nigel astutely points out above - on the day, it can either all work, or the system breaks down and it doesn't, that's just pure luck of the day.

On our last three attempts with a solid route, something always went wrong with the tube - or, a better way of putting it might be that something went wrong in a section that we hadn't done yet. All we needed was a day when the tube didn't break down, and this past Wednesday - we got one!

So it's not a "hell of a target" to beat. We did run hard and fast to make connections.

As boastful as it sounds, sub 17-hours times are easily possible IF THE TUBE WORKS (as it should), and that record time is beatable. For us on Wednesday, making either a Circle line train (missed by 30 seconds, 10 minutes wait for the next one), or the C2C foul up (16 minutes wait for a train, should have been less than 5) put us back by two ten minute blocks. Making either one of those would have put us on the 16:27 last train. Make both of those, and 16:17 is possible. Make a well timed bus connection (as I mention above) and it's another whole train ahead and 16:07 is possible - but that would be amazingly lucky, I grant you. But not impossible.

So. It's still up for grabs people. COME ON!

(ps. Yes, you are welcome to our '@to_the_trains' twitter account. Oh, except that you're retired, so there's no point in telling you the password ... )

Geoff i going to take a minute here to tell you to calm down and relax its well known that any time is physically possible even if someone had there own train drove it and just had 1 passenger on it say xmas day although i suspect Guinness wouldnt allow lol.I could moan on and on about the amount of times i had lost such and such time wish i had support person just for a few seconds that i dont have a lot of times when i did need for example!

My point is you have a lot of things in place 4 person support crew sometimes more technology and a good running speed and eh with your determination you probably get the record someday!Its impossible for absolutely every tube to statiscally run on time and not to break down when u want it sometimes it works for you sometimes it doesnt its swings and roundabouts.

Also you dont know the reasons why i have retired so until you know show a little respect for someone who has bust their arse off and completed it more times than you have attempts.

[snudge27]

Can we put the handbags away please?

[Sam]

Jeez, why is it everytime we try and have a sensible discussion it turns into a pathetic argument.

Andi your first post was just goading people to respond, why can you never have sensible conversation without coming across as being a complete and utter t*at!!

No one said the record was easy to beat and it never will be.

[Going Underground]

Having done several full networks and hundreds of hours route planning there is no advantage on most of the key runs in being a highly primed athelete... I have done this several times in teams wher the lead man or whoever has reached the station before me has not caught an earlier train...For the vast majority of these that is just the way the timetable works...

[Wanstead]

Having done several full networks and hundreds of hours route planning there is no advantage on most of the key runs in being a highly primed athelete... I have done this several times in teams wher the lead man or whoever has reached the station before me has not caught an earlier train...For the vast majority of these that is just the way the timetable works...

Of course we're all at the mercy of the actual timings of the trains on any given day but if you can shave minutes off a long run because you're simply a faster runner I don't see how that can be anything other than advantageous. If you can afford to "waste" time on runs then doesn't that suggest the route could be tightened up?

I do defer to your experience however.

[Going Underground]

I try and tighten the routes up as much as possible to suit my running pace. Sometimes you have to compromise in areas to hit certain key points, ala MHE, Ken Oly, Hainault Loop... This may mean that somwhere during the day you can end up with the unavoidable situation of having 9 minutes to run N. Ealing West Acton...
Of course it can be advantageous to get to your next station as swiftly as possible, but you have to balance that with your own stamina and fitness issues that may impact on energy drains and tiredness that could affect a much tighter run later in the day...
Another example is West Rusilip Ickenham, where at most times during the day you have the same timings between arriving / departure and it would make no difference if you were able to cover the ground in 3 or 4 minutes...
My point is that speed is not the "be all and end all", if I gave Paula Radcliffe a week to plan a route without any help and she came back next Friday for a head-to-head race with Sam Cawley I know who my money would be on...