Tubefest 07 Thursday night challenge - May 17th

[Going Underground]

Sounds exciting!

Will we get a copy each of list, will it be read out loud or will we all try to look at the list at once?

(I.e. do I need paper and pen? Do I need a helmet?)

So Hakan are you bringing a laptop or palm pilot with one of your programmes where you will enter the 15 stations and it will caluclate the best route for you

[hwolge]

No comments.

[Going Underground]

Just to confirm that I will be attending on Thursday. Is it Mansion House + 15 stations or is Mansion House included in the 15?

I would guess that Mansion House is the first of 15 with 14 to follow, but not 100% sure...... Ric is this correct

[tpfkar]

Yes, Mansion House is the first of the 15.

[Soup Dragon]

Just one quick question, although Manison House is the starting station, would you be allowed to run to St Pauls or Bank once the stop watch starts, and then visit Mansion House later in the evening?

[hwolge]

Just one quick question, although Manison House is the starting station, would you be allowed to run to St Pauls or Bank once the stop watch starts, and then visit Mansion House later in the evening?

I wouldn't interpret previous discussions in a way that allows it. On the other hand I think it should be allowed from a consistency point of view. In that case we'd have 15 "equal" stations to cover, but we just "happen" to be standing right outside one of them. So in the general spirit of GWR derivatives, I'd say that Ric et al should allow it!

See you Thursday!

[Going Underground]

Just one quick question, although Manison House is the starting station, would you be allowed to run to St Pauls or Bank once the stop watch starts, and then visit Mansion House later in the evening?

I wouldn't interpret previous discussions in a way that allows it. On the other hand I think it should be allowed from a consistency point of view. In that case we'd have 15 "equal" stations to cover, but we just "happen" to be standing right outside one of them. So in the general spirit of GWR derivatives, I'd say that Ric et al should allow it!

See you Thursday!

I thought we had to depart on the first train leaving from the starting station, or was not clarified

[hwolge]

I thought we had to depart on the first train leaving from the starting station, or was not clarified.

For Friday Z1C this is of course true! I was referring to the Thursday night warm up event only!

[Going Underground]

I thought we had to depart on the first train leaving from the starting station, or was not clarified.

For Friday Z1C this is of course true! I was referring to the Thursday night warm up event only!

Hopefully Ric can clarify the rules for us on Thurs eve when we meet up...

[hwolge]

OK, I'll be using some kind of information technology support... On the other hand I'll be solo, unless someone (preferably someone I've met before) likes to team up for the warm up event?

See you all tomorrow!

[tpfkar]

OK, I'll be using some kind of information technology support... On the other hand I'll be solo, unless someone (preferably someone I've met before) likes to team up for the warm up event?

See you all tomorrow!

Is that an offer? You plan the route and I'll run it

I hadn't thought too much about whether you should be allowed to run from the starting point. As is said above, in a standard Zone 1 this would not be allowed, but as the time opens from when the envelope is opened on this one, and this is meant to be a slightly quirky challenge I'm thinking that YES you should be allowed to begin with a run. That's not a final decision though, we'll sort it just before the start.

[tpfkar]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the results of the first event of Tube-Fest 07, the 'Tube Challenge Unplanned.'

We knew in advance that the starting station was to be Mansion House, and that we had to visit 14 other randomly selected stations in Zones 1 and 2. As I suggested above, participants were allowed to begin with a run on this challenge, but no-one in fact chose to do so.

The participants were:
Team 1 : Kevin, Antony, & Jamie Brown (Going Underground, Soup Dragon, Dr Who)
Team 2: Peter Smyth (greatkingrat)
Team 3: David Scard, matthew, Gervase Markham (juice-rail, scrxisi)
Team 4: John & Anthony
Team 5: Me & Hakan's laptop

We began the timer when we opened the envelope, and all read the contents as follows:

Starting station is Mansion House
Tufnell Park
Green Park
Southwark
Kilburn
Putney Bridge
Russell Square
Oxford Circus
Maida Vale
Covent Garden
High St Kensington
Barbican
Barons Court
Wapping
Euston Square

So we didn't get New Cross after all, but had to do trips out to Wapping, Kilburn, Maida Vale and Putney Bridge.

Most of the other teams ran off onto their first trains, however I hung back just long enough for Hakan to put all the stations into his program and give me the 'optimal' route. Apart from one little detail: we missed Southwark off. So I had a great route for 14 stations, but didn't know how to get to the 15th.

I ended up rewriting the second half of the route, and it was a bit of a disaster sadly - sorry Hakan your route was far far better than what I ended up doing. In fact many of the teams did Kilburn to West Hampstead (or even Willesden Junction) via Silverlink, and this was the deciding factor, as some teams had excellent connections, whereas I got to know Kentish Town West station very well

I think we got all the results in McDonalds afterwards, as well as the order each team visited the stations (to give you an idea of the routes) and as you will see, there is controversy over who finished in the hotly contested last spot...

1) Many congratulations to our winners, who got round in a time of 3hrs 11 mins 30 seconds: David Scard, scrxisi & Gervase Markham

I believe that they visited the stations the stations in the following order:
Mansion House, Southwark, Wapping, Barbican, Euston Square, Oxford Circus, Green Park, Covent Garden, Russell Square, Tufnell Park, Kilburn, Maida Vale, High St Kensington, Putney Bridge, Barons Court.

I think they had a great route, and I'd be interested to see if it's similar to Hakan's computer route with Southwark included.

2) A strong second place to greatkingrat, who clocked in at 3hrs 19 mins and 33 seconds.
His order was: Mansion House, Southwark, Wapping, Barbican, Euston Square, Tufnell Park, Russell Square, Covent Garden, Green Park, Oxford Circus, Kilburn, Maida Vale, High St Ken, Barons Court and Putney Bridge.

We ran into each other at Tufnell Park - I thought I must have been going down the wrong corridor for the reverse as there was someone in a sharp suit going down it as well until I realised it was him!

3) Well all good runs come to an end, and tonight was finally the night when I got beat by Kevin! Clan Brown came in at 3:37:37 and this evening were mostly visiting:
Mansion House, Covent Garden (nice little run there I believe) Russell Square, Barbican, Euston Square, Tufnell Park, Kilburn, Maida Vale, Oxford Circus, Green Park, Kigh St Ken, Barons Court, Putney Bridge, Southwark and Wapping.

I think they realised at the end that they could have gone a bit faster by doing their last couple of stations earlier on. However to maintain tradition they were at least the last ones back to the meeting point....

4) (hotly disputed) is me. My time was 3:40:48 but I finished at Kilburn Park. This is because I was trying to finish at Maida Vale, but was told that it was closed, so had to pass through. Looks like it closed at 10 - and I was the only person through after that time. Should I be classed as a non-finisher as I didn't actually visit Maida Vale? The jury is out....

My route (as sensibly suggested by Hakan's laptop): Mansion House, Wapping, Barbican, Russell Square, Covent Garden, Green Park, Oxford Circus, Tufnell Park, Euston Square, Kilburn, Maida Vale, High st Ken, Barons Court, Putney Bridge. The easiest way to incorporate Southwark to this would have been a double back from Green Park.

My route (as I brazenly attempted): Mansion House, Wapping, Barbican, Russell Square, Covent Garden, Euston Square, Tufnell Park, Kentish Town, West Kentish Town, West Kentish Town, still West Kentish Town, West Kentish Town, West Hampstead, Kilburn, Oxford Circus, Green Park, Southwark (had a dilemma here asa i realised there were about 5 different ways of finishing and none of them were good from where I was) Barons Court via Green Park again, Putney Bridge, High St Ken, Kilburn Park passing through Maida Vale.
Bottom line: Just do what Hakan says, stupid!

And last but not least (if my time counts):
5) John & Anthony. (don't know forum names sorry) in a time of 3:47:55, but they still beat me + the Browns to McDonalds.
Their route was: Mansion House, Wapping, Southwark, Oxford Circus, Maida Vale, Kilburn, Tufnell Park, Barbican, Euston Square, Russell Square, Covent Garden, Green Park, Barons Court, High St Ken, Putney Bridge.

I thought it was a great warm-up challenge, and I did like the sponteneity of not knowing the stations in advance. Only problem was that the success of most people's routes hinged on the Silverlink North London line - although I understand that the winners were the only team to use a bus to connect two of the difficult stations, which may have been a masterstroke.

I'd certainly be up for doing something like that again, and won't have to spend any more time writing the program to generate the stations! Well done and thank you to all who took part and made suggestions for how the challenge should work, and I'll see you for the main event in the morning.

Signing off for tonight,
Ric

[tubeguru]

If I'd known you were planning on spending your evening at Kentish Town West I'd have got the bus down from Holloway to keep you company

[Soup Dragon]

Nice write up Ric.

Luckily we did not have to visit Kentish Town West, as there was only a four minute wait at Kentish Town for a Bedford train calling at West Hampstead.

Personally I say that you should be 5th because technically you didn't visit all stations, and your pass through at Maida Vale was part of a planned closure.

Having said that I think given your problems at the start with Southwark missing from the list, you still did pretty well to be that close to our time.

On reflection I think going east and visiting Wapping first would have been the best way to go, but that's what made this challenge so much fun with the random station factor.

[tpfkar]

Nice write up Ric.

Luckily we did not have to visit Kentish Town West, as there was only a four minute wait at Kentish Town for a Bedford train calling at West Hampstead.

Personally I say that you should be 5th because technically you didn't visit all stations, and your pass through at Maida Vale was part of a planned closure.

Having said that I think given your problems at the start with Southwark missing from the list, you still did pretty well to be that close to our time.

On reflection I think going east and visiting Wapping first would have been the best way to go, but that's what made this challenge so much fun with the random station factor.

Wanting me to be disqualified!? Et tu, Soupe?: No prize for best team name heading your way later then
That's where my lack of knowledge did for me - I wasn't even sure which station to use at Kentish town. I had a look at Kentish Town station, but there wasn't anything for 20 mins, and it was going to Luton or Sutton, neither of which sounded good. Bad local knowldge.

And in terms of route-planning, although Hakan sent me east to Whitechapel/Wapping, on reflection I think I would have saved 20 mins (and roughly 10 mins on the winners' route) by going only one stop to Blackfriars from Mansion House, running to Southwark, and then Wapping, Barbican etc.

I think that any team who figured that out (and they would have had to do so *right* at the start, would have done very well.