A second completion, with improved time

[Alan White]

I wasn't sure whether to add this to my previous thread or create a new one. I decided that as a new completion with an improved time it warranted its own thread.

After my successful FNC on 22nd March I said that I'd repeat the attempt largely because of having to do the Richmond branch out of sequence as it was closed for most of the day. I knew that doing the branch in its correct place on my route would result in a better time, and so it proved.

On 19th April I started at Heathrow T4 at 05:02:51 and finished at Amersham at 23:58:05 for a time of 18:55:14, 27m28s faster than my previous completion.

Train 221 was unusually early. It departed T4 at 05:02:51, just 6s late, and arrived T2/3 at 05:07:26, 34s early. Wonderful. To further help, train 222 was late, not departing T2/3 until 05:11:48, 1m48s after the timetabled time. So I had plenty of time at T2/3.

After a succession of just-missed trains, by Morden I was nevertheless 12 minutes ahead of schedule. This reduced to 6 minutes when the train from Morden unexpectedly (to me) called at pfm1 at Kennington thus messing up the door position, and the resulting disorientation caused me to miss a Battersea train. On departure from Brixton, despite missing the reverses at both Battersea & Brixton, I was back to 11 minutes ahead so this shows the potential for a further improvement to my overall time on a future attempt.

On the way back from Upminster on a District line train I noticed that an H&C train was a couple of minutes behind and considered changing to that at Aldgate East in order to avoid the walk to and the wait at Aldgate. Fortunately I realised just beforehand that doing this would mean I'd have missed Aldgate. Whoops!

The only delays of the day were on the Bakerloo, needing three trains to get me to Harrow & Wealdstone. It didn't help that LO was also disrupted. The northbound Bakerloo really is a weak link in this route and I might have to modify things to mitigate it.

All in all, a good second completion and I'll have another go sometime.

[Miles]

Congrats on completing another one. Iirc, the northbound bakerloo to harrow used to be every 10 mins and is now every 15 making, so it almost as crucial to get a good connection as the hainault shuttle. I have considered changing my route for next time to try pick up harrow & wealdstone earlier so it becomes less of a time drain. Need somehow to persuade tfl to increase the frequency back to 6/hr to help us challengers out

[hopeful traveller]

You also have the once-every-15-minutes Watford-Euston overground service so it is still a decent frequency of 8tph, and of course you will be able to pick up more Bakerloos at Queens Park on the way back down.