Ain't no party like an S Stock Party. New and exciting levels of boredom await those who attempt this challenge. Be warned.
I had your two, but I was unable to get hold of Nick last night. Anyway, my time was 07:30:44, finishing at Uxbridge, and my route:
Amershambles
Chalfont and Latimer
Chesham
Moor Park
Watford
North Harrow
Rayners Lane
Aldgate
Aldgate East
Barking
Upminster
London Fenchurch Street
Tower Hill
Hammersmith (D&P)
Hammersmith (CHC)
Edgware Road (CHC)
High Street Kensington
Kensington Olympia
West Brompton
Wimbledon
East Putney
Putney
Richmond
Ravenscourt Park
Ealing Broadway
North Ealing
Uxbridge
So, like all the other challengers (except, perhaps, crypto), I started at Amersham on the 1246 Met Line. Went down to Chalfont and Latimer for the horrible long wait for the train up to Chesham. At Chalfont and Latimer, Peter took the train back to Amersham - he'd decided to do the Amersham to Chesham run just to knock 9 minutes off (for the world record). The rest of us waited for the train to Chesham, then waited at Chesham for the train to go back down. Peter rejoined us here.
Heading down to Moor Park, we missed the -1 minute connection by quite a way (possibly due to bridge strengthening works between Rickmansworth and Chorleywood - looking at Google Maps this was just west of where the line crosses the M25). I went to have a look at the Sandy Lodge Exit at Moor Park during our long wait, before returning to get the train up to Watford, where we waited for the train to turn around and go back. The North West Corner is BORING, guys.
Finally, we were on our way down to North Harrow, where Kev, Nick and I bailed for the
run H9 bus to Rayners Lane (Peter was going off to do the Wembley Park doubleback - actually the Finchley Road doubleback it turned out). The three of us parted at Rayners Lane - Kev and Nick to get the Met west to Uxbridge, while I boarded an eastbound train for the long haul down to Aldgate. And heck, it was a very long haul, screaming baby, inexplicable pauses between Finchley Road and King's Cross St Pancras - I ended up at Aldgate 3 minutes down on schedule. Sprinted down to Aldgate East (perhaps faster than I'd ever done), dive onto the waiting train to find out it was a Hammersmith and City Line train - which thankfully rushed down to Barking. At Barking, a 3 minute wait or so for the next District Line train out to Upminster. I knew I'd missed the 1615 c2c back into town (it came past as we left Upminster Bridge), but the 1621 was still up for grabs, and whisked me off back into town within 2 minutes of my arrival at Upminster. Ah, a train that's not an S Stock. Bliss.
At Fenchurch Street, I arrived 6 minutes down on schedule - but this was quickly cut to 5 due to the service frequencies on the District Line with a D Stock (yes!) to take me west to Hammersmith. Quick calculations told me I'd be 5 minutes down all the way round to High Street Kensington, where I'd have 11 minutes instead of 16 minutes to get from HSK to Kensington Olympia - a bit more tricky, but doable! As expected, I was precisely one train and 5 minutes down at Hammersmith - but I arrived at Edgware Road to find my Circle Line train (the 1741) had vanished! Discussion told me that yes, it was cancelled. Now I had precisely 6 minutes to get from HSK to Kensington Olympia when I got down there - which is most likely beyond me. Change of tactics put me on the 1801 District departure from HSK to Kensington Olympia, which arrived at 1807 - happily dropping me onto the 1810 London Overground to Clapham Junction, which deposited me with a 1 minute change onto the 1813 District Line from West Brompton down to Wimbledon, and 10 minutes down on schedule.
10 minutes down cut my run from East Putney to Putney from 12 minutes to 2 minutes. I reached Putney in 2½ minutes to see the Windsor and Eton Riverside (nonstop) train pulling out. Waiting for the stopping service 6 minutes later, I took the train down to Richmond, where due to the District Line timetabling I was still 10 minutes down. No chance to gain this time back as I went up to Ravenscourt Park then across to Ealing Broadway by 1938, where the possible 30 second connection back out pulled away just before I arrived, one minute late. Never mind - throwing in the run to North Ealing would get me there in time to make my train, even if it was just the Rayners Lane terminator and I'd finish on the Met Line more than 10 minutes down.
The run to North Ealing, as I recalled, is just another long residential road and a dash across the North Circular, followed by the length of the car park. I knew I had 13 minutes to do it in (doing it in 3 minutes was out of the question), but I resolved to run it faster, just in case it was early. I arrived at North Ealing 8 minutes later at 1947 to some brilliant news - the Piccadilly Line was in tatters, and the direct Uxbridge train I was aiming for was a rather spectacular 8 minutes late, meaning I made it after all! During its journey up to Uxbridge, it gained back another 3 minutes, bringing me to the finish at Uxbridge 5 minutes down on schedule (but with 1 minute gained at Amersham before leaving) for an 07:30:44 finish time. Not too shabby.
Known crypto sightings:
- Kev saw him at Chalfont and Latimer northbound platform, as the four of us were heading up to the start
- Nick and I saw him at Chalfont and Latimer on a southbound train, as the three of us were waiting for the train up to Chesham
- I saw him at Croxley on a southbound train, as the four of us were headed up to Watford
- I *think* I saw him at Rayners Lane eastbound platform, as I was heading to the finish at Uxbridge
Still, as I made my way back to Harrow-on-the-Hill, I decided I'd had enough of S Stocks for the day and was not going to crawl back home on one, so I bailed there for the Chiltern service into Marylebone, which was much better.
Is there a consensus on start location or wherever we have planned individually? Not sure about post challenge meet up as I am due to be meeting a friend in the evening
