tubechallenge.com

greatkingrat wrote:
I just looked on the Tesco website to see where it is and there doesn't appear to be a Tescos in Loughton? There is one in Epping and Theydon Bois though. So where exactly are we supposed to be meeting?

I can't speak for Kevin but there is a Sainsburys outside Loughton station if that helps!

Good local knowledge there Phil. Yes, I reckon that Sainsbury's is the one we're after, which is good, because I can then use my Nectar card and get 2% off anything in stock!

Yes sorry I stand corrected, Sainsbury's it is...!!

Well it has been done, The desktop challenge or 129 snake was completed on Friday 1st Sept...

The route followed can be found on this link;

http://matt.west.co.tt/files/tube/desktop_challenge.png

4 teams met up at Harrow & Wealdstone and lots were drawn.....

The idea being that person/team drawn first departed on next Bakerloo Line train and so on....

1) John Stark (Starkey7) Dep: 1106 and 15 secs

2) Peter (greatkingrat) Dep: 1109 and 45 secs

3) Kevin and Jamie Brown (Going Underground / Dr Who) 1115 and 46 secs

4) Damien (nozzacook) 1123 and 43 secs...


All following the same route but departing at different times, we had no idea if we would meet up or go past each other on the way round or all get to Epping individually

My team were quite happy being third away, but that feeling soon changed

A leisurely sit down to Baker Street where we found ourselves in carriage 1 when really carriage 3 was correct for the first change onto Jubilee line.. Missing a train by a few seconds we were a bit peeved, not to worry only a 2 min wait for the next one BUT this was terminating at Willesden Green...
We got off there (avoiding great temptation to cheat and get the Met line at Finchley Road) and then saw the next service was six minutes...

Surely we were going to get caught up at the second interchange being Wembley Park and sure enough Nozzacook had reeled us in already
Looked like we were already booked for 4th spot, unless we could shake nozzacook off, which was going to be highly unlikely...

Approaching Rayners Lane we received a text from Starkey at 1232hrs saying he was just coming into Park Royal, we got to Park Royal at 1252hrs so we were now 20 mins behind.
Our initial start being about 9 1/2 mins later..

A couple of average changes took us into the zone 1 battlefield, where after a couple of hours of relative leisure the next 2 hours were going to be fast and furious.....

We had some great connections in Central London, except a 6 min wait at Euston for Southbound Northern via Bank service....
Hopefully we might be clawing some time back on the front 2 teams now?

The 3 of us managed to stay together until a cunning short cut at Victoria saw nozzacook just dive onto a Southbound service to Stockwell...
Only 2 mins for the next service and sure enough we caught him up again on the Northern line platform.....

We mangaed to stay together round to Mile End and happy days the second Central Line due in 3 mins was Woodford via Hainhault
Knowing these are like gold dust would we see the others before Epping?

We pulled into Hainhault and sitting near the rear didn't really see if anyone was on the platform...As we pulled away we saw greatkingkrat in the next carriage, a smile came over my face for the first time in hours
Barring something crazy at Woodford we now couldn't finish last...

Peter joined our carriage at Grange Hill and said "we had been waiting about 15 mins at Hainhualt" WE I thought and as I said were you with Starkey we saw him in the next carriage....
A bigger smile came over our faces....

So we all changed at Woodford and arrived at Epping at 1719 and 24 secs..
Complete times as follows;

4th Starkey; 6hrs 13mins 09 secs
3rd Greatkingrat; 6hrs 09 mins 39 secs
2nd G. Underground/Dr Who; 6hrs 03 mins 38 secs
1st Nozzacook; 5 hrs 55 mins 41 secs

I found out that John and Peter had met at Acton Town and did get split up again, but hopefully they can post the details here.....


After lunchbreak at Loughton Sainsbury's (not good all the Sarnies had been sold)
We headed into Barbican for the evening Z1 where we briefly met Londongirl (Cathryn) and her friend Joe (who looked like an early Aviator!!)

The same 4 teams that completed the snake and the 2 we met made up a total of 5 teams from this tricky starting station.....

I have some rough times, but not exact as the seconds were not confirmed on some....

Cathryn and Joe 3hrs 28 mins + ??
Peter 3hrs 27 mins + ??
Kevin & Jamie 3hrs 26 mins 35 secs(personal worst )
Damien 2hrs 59 mins 02 secs
John 2hrs 52 mins + ??


A most enjoybale day, many thanks to all those that made it and we have a very cunning plan for another similiar day now that Heathrow opens up a further posssible 17 x 129 routes...

Some pictures from the day can be found on the link below...

http://pic6.piczo.com/brownstubenetwork ... 20838&cr=6

What a day as you know my day in london started a 6.29am I did make it to Mc D's but could not wait long as I was dependant on NR to get home.

I found the Zone 1 Punishing after the 129 Snake but with so few of us I was surprised to bump into starkey at bayswater and we travelled to green park via Earls Court together. Did not expect to go under 3 hrs but the last 4 changes wrer exceptional and stepped of the train at vauxhall in a time of 2:59.02 my best yet for Zone 1.

Cant wait for the next snake challenge

Some good stuff on your site Jamie! I'm liking the plethora of photos from Friday.

Congratulations on your sub-three-hour time Damian! My last four changes were not exceptional. I also had a four-minute wait at Covent Garden just after you got off; consider yourself lucky!

It's nice to see some of the photos from the Snake, looks like a lot of fun and near misses.

Starkey7 wrote:Congratulations on your sub-three-hour time Damian! My last four changes were not exceptional. I also had a four-minute wait at Covent Garden just after you got off; consider yourself lucky!

Just for the record john what was your final time 2:52:??

I like to try and get all sub 3 hours on my site, pretty soon sub 3 hours might not even get you in the top 20!

Well from Barbican to Moorgate my time was 2:56'35". From Vauxhall to Southwark (on the same evening) my time was 2:52'19". This was because my circular route allowed me to go back around the route again, and this allowed me in effect to skip the Waterloo to Vauxhall rail link, and thus record a better time.

I have found the relevant topic with the 129 Snake times

Now can anyone confirm what the new definitive snake would be as we would like to have a crack at this on 31st Oct Tks

I'm up for that, provided I'm not working that day