ELL Closure - Challenge/Last Train Day Saturday 22nd Dec

[Going Underground]

Thinking again about what I've got to do tomorrow, I think I should give the All Lines a miss tomorrow too. But I'll definitely be at North Greenwich before 1845 for the second South of the River challenge!

No worries Jack, see you near the ticket barriers

[palkanetoijala31]

Well i start with my write up of the day.

Firstly met up the platform at Kew gardens station there were quite a few of us and started on the bottle of champagne that Soup Dragon brought along and then set off on the 12.19 train.

Train connection to Putney was easy to make and then off running to East Putney. I had never put myself up against any other tube challengers before so saw this as a test of my speed and stamina.I was last in the line getting off the train but getting out on to the streets i steadily picked up speed and passed everyone till i got to Soup Dragon stayed with him to pace myself as we could see a train about 200m away on the bridge knew we wouldnt make that train.

So i opened up a slight lead and got into the train station first and a train was approaching the station shouted for the brown clan and my team mate andi to hurry up just held the doors open long enough for andi to get on and thought the others had missed turns out i was wrong.

On to Wimbledon and the first slight problem for us no bus immediately there so the problem of what to do we split up here half going to South Wimbledon on bus and half on the tram to Morden Road.I had done this route so many times and knew the exact carriage positions and door but was still out last getting off tram thats expeirence for you.

But running i think is my forte and i dashed well into the lead and got to Morden in around 5 mins Soup Dragon team got in as well about 25 secs later waiting for my team mate dam the doors shut i felt so guilty for leaving him behind.

Up to Stockwell and i stayed with them through the Vauxhall and Brixton double backs even accidentally chinned a person with my elbow sorry whomever u were but you were in the way and not looking ahead.

Kennington for my lack of expeirence i decided to get off and make the train on Charing cross branch i just missed by about 10 secs then up to Waterloo this is where i lost time. But i needed to do the Southwark to Lambeth north run for my attempt on Jan 7th no more horrible runs thank god.

Got on at London Bridge and surprise surprise Andi and the Browns were there so i joined them for the last bit and awfully long wait for the now disbanded ell line at New Cross goodbye for 3 years.Onto the Captain Kidd
at Wapping and a well deserved couple of pints our final time was 2h 39 mins 26 secs

all lines challenge was good we joined up with Matt because he had a route we didnt restart but others did 3 for Soup Dragon and abandoned and 4 for the browns. Cant tell u the route but it was going quite well until the drain really lost a bit of time there and at Liverpool street.At Moorgate we ran in to the others trying to cross platform change Matt just held up the train and i dived through head first to the amusement of many others and after all that we didnt even need the train our final time just outside an hour at 49 secs shy we won YES.

The last challenge we set off at intervals i was last but this turned out to be bad i arrived at ncg going to nc the others were going in the other direction i knew they would make my train i just came in on but i wouldnt make theirs they just got off.So i had to wait 9 mins at Ncg i would have been 10 mins at least down on the others so with my train home in mind continued to Waterloo and it was only 4 mins away instead of an hour wait so abandoned there with aching legs and knee.Many apologies guys but knew it be tight for my last train home from Richmond being only 30 mins if i continued till the end.

All in all a fun day and well worth the pain of a run i now know not to do on Jan 7th.

[Going Underground]

A big thankyou to everyone that made it on the day

It was good to See A2, Dudey & Jack again and meet our Finnish friend Andi for the first time

I was suffering badly from the previous days Park Challenge, add to that a groin injury and a bad chest infection it was a very tough day.....

As Andi said we had some Champers at Kew to celebrate our GWR (no starkey and no photo taken which was a shame )

Hopefully Soup Dragon has all the times for all the challenges and finishing positiions as I wasn't at my most alert

Well as Andi said we all set off together for the first "South of the Thames" of the day. I was in a team with K9 (Ryan) and as we saw the southbound district go by at E.Putney we slowed up.... BIG mistake
We barely got on the end carriage after a frantic dash through the ticket barrier...
We didn't fancy the Tram run and got a bus to South Wimbledon.....where we promptly missed a Morden train by seconds as the door shut in my face
A 5 minute wait and then down to Morden where only A2 was in sight (abandonded by hs team mate )....
Things went pretty well from there we caught up with the other Andi at London Bridge. We would have made the Rotherithe double back to New Cross Gate had there not been a large group of enthuiasts blocking the stairs Both teams finishshed in the same time of 2hrs 39mins 26secs...

A couple of beers and we shared some chips at the Cap'n Kidd then off to the for our first ever (and last ever with ELL) All lines challenge.....

Ping pon Ryan and I for the All Lines and attempt 2 was looking good but went pear shaped at Tower Hill...... So attempt 4 it had to be as there was not time to go back and start again....
All went well up until Liverpool Street where we needed a Circle or Met to Moorgate and vice-versa back to Liverpool Street...
We had looked back and seen a Met in the platform at Aldgate, at Liverpool Street there was an Eastbound board showing circle in 8 mins, should be perfect for the double back except we waited on the Westbound Platform for 10 mins

We had plenty of time to get our Circle back to Liverpool Street as was the second train in after the H & C. at which point, Andi, Andrew & Matt went charging past Andi "dived" into the carriage as the doors were closing and hit the doors at the far side....Problem being he needed a Circle and this was an H & C
All went well (if tiring after that with frantic changes) and our team came in at 1hr 03mins 05secs At Bond Street.........

Back to North Greenwich for the "rally" start and 2nd "South of the Thames of the day" to finish at Kew Gdns... Our All Lines team stuck together, but both Ryan and I were struggling so badly we did think about heading straight home....
We were drawn number "3" of the 4 teams and all went superbly well to start with.
We saw Editorsfoot on the opposite platform at Rotherhite (I think) as we doubled back to Canada Water......
If memory serves we caught Jack (drawn "2") at Canada Water and also were on the same carriage as Antony, Jamie & Dudey) but as they gone off Number "1" we hadn't reeled them in yet as they had already been to Rotherhithe........
All went incredibly well and we caught up with team "1" at Stockwell after all the Viccie business, they had a long wait for a Northern Line, knew we were closed behind them as we had been spotted at E & C and had security the tape blocking our access across the platforms
The record time was now a possibility.......
So a difference of opinion at Morden, Jack decided to run for the tram and the other 2 teams decide to double back to South Wimbledon and bus it. although all 3 platforms were in use at Morden they get chopping and changing the signals and we must have lost around 5 mins here......

At South Wimbledon it all goes horribly wrong, my ticket wont go through the barrier we lose one of our teammates ping pon, by the time I get out of the station with Ryan they were out of sight and instead of crossing the road and turning right I turn immediately right and am running the wrong way
Turning around we can see the bus approx 200 yards up the road and despite ping pons best efforts at feigning injury in the bus door entrance we don't make it......
A bus comes approx 3 mins later but I am really not familiar with S. Wimbledon Wimbeldon especially at night and we get off 2 stops early and I can't find Wimbledon Station
After running for ages we find the station and see a district line in and just make it by the skin of our teeth...
Probably the slowest "run" ever E.Putney Putney and then I don't know which platform and nearly get on a train going round the Hounslow loop as this was the next SWT due......
Around a 7 minute wait for a Richmond "fast" and we are surprised to see Jack again assuming he was ahead, a 14 minute wait for the tram had scuppered him.........
It was then a few minutes wait at Richmond and from memory our time was around 2hrs 40mins

But had any of the others set All Lines or South of the Thames records? I will leave them to reveal.....

So a well deserved couple of pints at "The Station" where outside I am on my knees coughing up some horrible shite and being sick, nothing to do with the beer honest.......

So back to the ELL via Waterloo McD's where we all contrive to get lost in a panic at Canada Water and end up as 3 seperate groups

We all meet up again and find Phil (editorsfoot) and get the last ever ELL train down to New X Gate arriving around 01:15hrs....... Something else quite exiting happened on the last train to Whitechapel, but I will let those concerned tell you........

A drive back through streets we don't know in mist & dense fog....
Ashford Uxbridge Lightwater........

Wouldn't have missed it for the world

[Soup Dragon]

Overall it was a very enjoyable day. As previously mentioned we had a bottle of Champagne at Kew Gardens (Laurent Perrier 1999) to celebrate the confirmation of the GWR. It was a shame that Starkey could not join us but it was nice that a couple of random strangers showed some interest and joined us for a glass of champers in exchange for a brioche.

We departed from Kew at 12:21, the train was two minutes late which was good news as it meant we had less time to waste at Richmond. Running was extremely dangerous on slippery surfaces but Andi proved that all Finns are good distance runners as he sprinted past me between Putney & East Putney. The whole challenge went very well for our team, with good cross platforms at all the usual points. The first problem we had was at Waterloo, we just missed a Jubilee train but one followed on within a minute, only to be held whilst they 'regulated' the service. This minor delay cost us around 5 minutes. Our second problem was arriving at New Cross after the run from NXG, the boards showed a 10 minute wait for departure (which was a relief for Jamie as he had hoped on a bus that took him a few minutes out of his way.) Jamie joined up with us again with several minutes to spare before the train departed. The rest of the route was uneventful and we finshed in a very respectable time...

Results for the South of London (Kew Gardens to North Greenwich)
1st 2h27m16s Antony, Jamie & Phillip Brown PB
2nd 2h39m26s Kevin & Ryan Brown PB
=2nd 2h39m26s Andi (palkanetoijala) & Andrew (A2) PB

So PB's for all and some very good times. We retired to the Captn Kidd to enjoy food, beer & a wonderful sunset.



After the break we all headed off for the All Lines Challenge and again we split into 3 teams. Two teams opt for a Shadwell start and one team heads off to Warren Street. Myself and Jamie wanted to try and get a good H&C connection at Whitechapel and on our third restart we did okay having to wait just three minutes. We got to Aldgate East and next needed a District line train, however the next train in was another H&C. We wait another couple of minutes and unbelievably it's another H&C service, we don't have enough time to restart again so wait for a District to arrive, eventually we spent over 8 minutes waiting at Algate East. At Tower Hill we wait 13 minutes for a Circle line and then we arrive at Aldgate where there are 2 Met trains in and we pick the wrong one! This mistake costs us another 8 minutes so we decide to abort.

Result for the All Lines Challenge
1st 1h00m49s Matt Nunn, Andi & Andrew PB
2nd 1h03m05s Kevin, Phillip & Ryan Brown PB
3rd DNF Antony & Jamie Brown

The final challenge of the night was probably the most fun.
The starting positions were drawn at North Greenwich.
1. Jack Bynoe
2. Antony, Jamie & Matt
3. Kevin, Ryan & Phillip
4. Andi

We managed to catch Jack very quickly, I think it was the first change at Canada Water? We go up to Rotherhithe and back through Canada Water where we are joined by team 3, however, they still have to go up and do Rotherhithe later so things are still very close. On the NX to NXG run we pass Andi running in the opposite direction. We say goodbye to team 3 at Canada Water as we head off to Waterloo and they continue for the Rotherhithe double back.

Our first hold up comes at E&C waiting for the Northern line to Borough, we are sure we will be caught but luckily our train pulls away and we can just see Ping Pon running up the corridor. We had seen that the train behind us would be 3 minutes so we know team 3 will be hot on our heels. All goes well and we have some semi-sexy changes until we get to Stockwell (VIC SB to NOR SB) we just miss the Northern line train by seconds and see a 4 minute wait on the board. The train behind us is only 3 minutes behind and we are sure that team 3 will be onboard, we are correct and team 3 do catch us.

The only chance to shake off the other teams will be at Morden, we elect to double back to S.Wimbledon, Jack runs to Morden Rd for the tram and team 3 run outside for a bus to Wimbledon. As there are no buses in sight team 3 come back down to the platforms and decide to follow us.
At South Wimbledon we emerge from the station to see a 131 bus at the lights waiting to turn right, I sprint across the road and make the bus together with my team mates and also with Phillip who decides to abandon his team and go solo.

Our only chance to shake off Phil will be on the Putney run but he manages to stick with us and claims the victory in a rather good time for the reverse!

South of London result (North Greenwich to Kew Gardens)
1st 2h29m54s Phillip Brown
2nd 2h35m53s Antony, Jamie & Matt PB for Matt
3rd 2h40m27s Kevin & Ryan
4th 2h50m19s Jack PB
5th DNF Andi

A fish & chip supper was follwed by a pint in the pub at Kew before heading back over to the ELL for the last few trains.

[jonny]

I have added those South of London times to my website.

[Starkey7]

Nice work all! I'm really sorry for my absence; I just couldn't stand two days involving charging around the Tube...

[A2]

A first for me on two counts.
First time attempting the South of the Thames
First time attempting an All Lines Challenge

Thank you to everyone who was there - it was great seeing you and I hope I didn't slow anyone down too much.

The South of the Thames challenge

Arrived a few minutes early to Kew Gardens and caught up with Kevin while waiting for the others to arrive. There ended up being 3 teams, 2 groups of miscellaneous Brown's and myself and palkanetoijala31 (henceforth "Andi" as its easier to type).
A nice gentle start through Richmond, someone not me had done their research and we could do the change at a stroll.
On arrival at Putney though the pace changed for a run to Putney Bridge. Soupdragon, Philip and Andi raced ahead and were minutes in front of myself, Ryan and GoingUnderground. As we approached East Putney we saw a southbound train going over the bridge. Naturally we all slowed down a little as none of us expected the next train to be for at least 5 minutes. However, I was a little ahead of Kevin and Ryan and put on some pace just after the ticket barriers as another train got in. Andi was waiting at the top of the stairs and we jumped on as the doors were closing. We thought we'd given one of the teams an early slip but Kevin had managed to catch the doors closing and hold them for Ryan. By the time we got to Wimbledon we'd all congregated at the front of the train.

Wimbledon, and not a bus or a tram anywhere in sight.
Kevin and Ryan took a bus to South Wimbledon while the other teams found a tram to Morden Road.
Note to self: Morden Road to Morden is too bloody far.
At this point I fell behind, and got to Morden only to find that everyone else had departed on an earlier train (can't say I blame them)
By an unfortunate chance Kevin and Ryan had missed a train by seconds at South Wimbledon and so I joined up with them for the rest of the challenge.

The next stages were pretty uneventful. We paid attention to where we were and where we were going, and reminded GoingUnderground which station we were at occasionally (he'd still be in Vauxhall otherwise) and had some rather nice changes throughout.

At London Bridge however, who should join us, after some form of run, but Andi, and so the teams were reunited.

A rubbish double back at Rotherhithe (train spotters) and 9 minute wait at New Cross put paid to us getting a record time however.


A few pints later
...

All Lines Challege
Great run with Matt and Andi, thanks again for letting me tag along with you.

All went perfectly apart from a long wait at Waterloo for a W&C and a few occasions where we dashed onto a train standing in a platform only for the train to sit there for a minute or two before going despite a green signal.

The glitch came towards the end at the Moorgate change.
We arrived on a Met, intending to get on a Circle.
We arrived on a Met and saw a train in the platform already. The boards at the previous station had suggested that this would be a Circle train.
Matt and Andi raced for the train, me puffing and panting somewhere behind.
As it turned out, GoingUnderground's ALC team was also doubling back there.
Matt and Andi jumped on the train, and departed - I missed it
Philip comes up to me and says "did they mean to get on an H&C?"
-oops-
I jump on the Circle train a minute behind, and change at Liverpool Street for the H&C (about 3 mins later). In the meantime Matt and Andi jump on the Circle train to Aldgate and do the Aldgate Run just in time to be on the same H&C train as me at Aldgate East. We all get the same time though due to a 5 minute wait at Whitechapel for the ELL.


A great day, and I still ache.

- Andrew

[palkanetoijala31]

Well it was a privelage to go round with you even though my running pace is too fast for you. But as you recall at the end of the all lines who got lucky and who didnt because they were too fast.Anyway let us know when u r going to attempt the alphabet drinking challenge i,ve already thought of some pubs in the h and i and q to stop in andi.

[palkanetoijala31]

Now uploaded my photo,s of that day on my new site