tubechallenge.com

I was thinking of the possibility of having an R15 in another UK city which has a rail network (particularly if you can get a travelcard allowing unlimited travel within the area) - I thought of Birmingham and the West Midlands area as an example (and also because it is nearish where I live!). See http://www.networkwestmidlands.co.uk/we ... curves.pdf for a map. (Note that it doesn't show all stops on the Midland Metro although the line is shown - a map of the Midland Metro is at http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/metro/trammap.aspx, which is its only line). I'm only concerned with all the stops shown within the dotted line

There is a ticket (details at http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/CT_T ... ultsPage=0) which allows unlimited travel in this area (including the trains, the metro and buses) for one day except before 0930 on Mondays-Fridays. So I was thinking it would be possible to, one Saturday, to do a day out to Birmingham to do an R15 on the Network West Midlands area, including the National Rail trains (which are run by different operators) and the Midland Metro (a single line). This could be done either by adapting scrxisi's R15 generator to include the stations in the Network West Midlands area, or by doing a 'live' draw like what tangy did for the last R15. Somebody could draw a start station about a week in advance, meet there and then draw the rest if the latter option is used (which might be easier). We could then see if we could find a pub in central Birmingham to meet afterwards (I don't know any pubs), compare times and announce the result.

I don't envisage this counting as part of the R15 championship (i.e. this will be a standalone event). As for playing darts afterwards, this is something we could do if we happen to find a pub with a dartboard (I've got no idea how or where to find a pub with a dartboard).

Is there anybody else interested in participating in/organising this? (I wouldn't hold it too near the next planned R15, but having said that, I'm hoping it won't be in December as I've got a temporary job which runs Tuesday-Saturday and starts in December).

Argh, R15s belong on the LONDON underground!!!

Sam wrote:Argh, R15s belong on the LONDON underground!!!

Well, I don't see any harm in doing something like this an 'extra' (this should not affect the main R15 championship, which is always on the London Underground and sometimes uses other TfL transport in London). I think it will be fun to play with an unfamiliar network (of the West Midlands network, I have been to Birmingham New Street a number of times and occasionally Wolverhampton, but nowhere else in the area really. Except for passing through on the way to London by train).

And Soup Dragon hinted somewhere else that he hoped to do European challenges on the forum at some point (i.e. do FNCs and perhaps other challenges such as R15s on other networks in Europe such as the Berlin U-Bahn or the Basel BVB tram system that he's been on) and this can serve as a forerunner (I suppose we could also do FNCs of other UK networks too but I thought of R15s as some networks contain stations with limited service, i.e. a few trains a day, so may be difficult to do in a day trip to the area from far away; R15s can eliminate these sort of stations).

I suppose we could also consider the West Yorkshire metro but there will probably be little variation in routes (which I suppose may also be true of the West Midlands network. The West Midlands network has a few lines however and a couple of bus links shown as well as the metro trams). And it has the advantage of being able to get to in less than an hour and a half from London (being for the London Underground, I'd imagine that a large proportion of the people on this forum live in and around London).

And I forgot to add; Bordesley station in Birmingham is served only by what is known as a Parliamentary service (which means it's served with only one or a few trains per day to keep a service running), so this IMO should be left out of any R15 done in this area.

I disagree. I don't like Birmingham so no challenge should happen there.

West Yorkshire would be more acceptable as I like Yorkshire people (if you hadn't noticed ) but I still think the challenge should stay in London where it belongs.

And I want everything my own way, so it suits me

There speaks a woman! Anybody brave enough to argue? BTW, how did your Dutch team do at the weekend, Sam?

Ha

Well, they did ok, but I expect better, I mean 10-0 against one of your biggest rivals just isn't good enough if you ask me!!

I know what you mean! Shame it wasn't a game you could go to.

perkyperky wrote:I know what you mean! Shame it wasn't a game you could go to.

I know, would have been AMAZING! Instead I went to watch them against Sparta Rotterdam in September, where they were one nil up until the 87th minute and it finished one all

Life's like that!

I'd like to see a National Rail R15.

Granted, it'd probably have to take place over a number of weeks/months depending on work schedules etc...

National Rail R15, wow, you're even more bonkers than Joe

Todays R15 is

Commondale
London Marylebone
Pollokshaws West
Orpington
Skegness
Birkenhead North
Orrell Park
Kirkwood
Woodbridge
Eastleigh
Llanharan
Gilberdyke
Leighton Buzzard
Largs
Tame Bridge Parkway

Try planning a route for that

I know what ticket to buy though- the daddy of them all- an All Line Rover. This allows unlimited travel on ANY National Rail TOC run train at all times of the day.

Only £430 for 7 days travel in second class or £650 first class.

I have been meaning to buy an All Line Rover for ages, maybe next year!

Matthew and I intend to buy one of them at some point and just jolly around the UK, because it's *only* £107.50 with PRIV discount

To be honest, even four hundred pounds isn't that bad for that much travel!