tubechallenge.com

Cheers.

I won't have time to plan a route though - anyone want to team up?

Or shall I just get on the first train and work it out as I go along?

You might a chance to plan a route between meetup and getting to Cannon, if not I'm sure someone will. I would suggest me but my planning gets as far at Euston then it gets a bit pearshaped. As in I can't quite work out what the next strategic move should be. Might be teaming up with Kevin after all, assuming I can still take advantage of the offer!

tpfkar wrote:Cheers.

I won't have time to plan a route though - anyone want to team up?

Or shall I just get on the first train and work it out as I go along?

I am teaming with K9 and we were also possibly going to include londongirl and make a team of 3....

I think londongirl was working on her own route anyway so there is a possible team member and ready made route for you

I think your record is safe in view of the starting station....

Going Underground wrote:

tpfkar wrote:Cheers.

I won't have time to plan a route though - anyone want to team up?

Or shall I just get on the first train and work it out as I go along?

I am teaming with K9 and we were also possibly going to include londongirl and make a team of 3....

I think londongirl was working on her own route anyway so there is a possible team member and ready made route for you

I think your record is safe in view of the starting station....

Ah already replied in regards to this situation! If I do get a route together in the next few hours then by all means, I am ready to team up. Though it looks dubious.

londongirl wrote:

Going Underground wrote:

tpfkar wrote:Cheers.

I won't have time to plan a route though - anyone want to team up?

Or shall I just get on the first train and work it out as I go along?

I am teaming with K9 and we were also possibly going to include londongirl and make a team of 3....

I think londongirl was working on her own route anyway so there is a possible team member and ready made route for you

I think your record is safe in view of the starting station....

Ah already replied in regards to this situation! If I do get a route together in the next few hours then by all means, I am ready to team up. Though it looks dubious.

OK you are still my team then Sorry Ric

Not looking great at the mo

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/travelinfo/r ... efault.asp

Are we meeting up at earl's court MacDonald’s afterwards?

Dr Who wrote:Are we meeting up at earl's court MacDonald’s afterwards?

Every chance I would say

I hope we meet up afterwards. I feel cheated after last time.

Circle line and Hammersmith and City are always murder... least the other lines seem pretty okay... hopefully Circle/Hammersmith will clear up in the next two hours.

Okay well I'll get on with a bit of a write-up then!

We all met up just before seven, which was very impressive, under the Monument. We formed four teams: 43019 (Julian) and tangy (Mark), me on my own, Going Underground (Kevin) and londongirl (Cathryn) and K9 (Ryan), Soup Dragon (Antony) and Dr Who (Jamie). After a very pleasant team photo, we proceeded to the Circle line to get a train to Cannon Street (where we were to start). There was a train waiting there (at Monument), and so everybody except me raced to catch it. "Why?" I wondered, as I wasn't prepared to dash around before we actually started! So instead I went by foot, and met them there. The westbound teams had disappeared by that point, but we eastbound teams met tfpkar (Ric) who teamed up with me, before getting the next Circle to Aldgate. It all went well until we had arrived on foot at Aldgate East, where we had a ten-minute wait for a Hammersmith and City out to Paddington. By this point, Ric was planning a route on his own, because he didn't fancy using the Waterloo and City line. How right he was.

During the Paddington run, we were serenaded by a full brass band, which was very cheering. Ric and I just caught a Bakerloo heading southbound, while the others presumably got the next one. Now Ric seemed very confused on the way down, not knowing where we were. He got off at Oxford Circus, and got lost on my short-cut to the Central line - oh dear. Meanwhile, as usual, I carried on to Elephant and Castle ... and so it went on.

Highlights included my just catching a Northern line at Euston, where I threw myself into the doors and wrenched them open, and discovering later that blood had been drawn! Also I had an amazingly quick trip on the District line from Gloucester Road and then a very fun Mansion House to St Pauls run, which was nice and quick.

Lowlights included a long wait for a Central line at St Pauls, and things went appallingly on the Waterloo and City, and on South West Trains.

Anyway, nearing the end, I was at Bayswater, and just needed to finish at Earls Court. There was an anti-clockwise Circle coming in two minutes' time, but no sign of a Wimbledon train whatsoever, so I went as far as High Street Kensington. Then I had a totally surreal finish. I ran from there to Earls Court, passing McDonald's, and dashed into the station. This was the only station I'd not done, so I just needed to jump on any train and go one stop. It was an Ealing Broadway train, and as the doors closed, Ric saw me and was evidently extremely puzzled as to where on earth I was going!

And so I finished at West Kensington. How utterly bizarre! It didn't take long to get back to Earls Court from there, and the other teams arrived shortly afterwards. Here are the times:

Going Underground, K9 and londongirl: 3:26'58", finishing at Mansion House
Me: 3:19'21", finishing at West Kensington
Soup Dragon and Dr Who: 3:23'45", finishing at High Street Kensington
tfpkar: 2:59'16", finishing at Vauxhall
43019 and tangy: 3:29'34", finishing at Russell Square

(report edited a couple of times to make various corrections)

Many thanks to 43019 for arranging this one.....it turned out to be just as tough as expected with a Cannon Street start but there was a sub 3 hour time....and a finish a at a Z2 station

I think young Starkey noted all the times and details, my team of Cathryn(londongirl), Ryan(K9) and I were on time for around 3hrs 15mins until I decided that upon arriving on National Rail line from Waterloo into Vauxhall that we needed to go South on the Victoria line... herewith of course complying with the new rules that every Z1 challenge must include at least 1 visit to a Z2 station, ours being Stockwell

Our watch stopped at 3hrs 26mins 58secs at The Mansion House....

Starkey7 wrote: Going Underground, K9 and londongirl: 3:26'58", finishing at Mansion House
Me: 3:19'21", finishing at West Kensington
Soup Dragon and Dr Who: 3:23'45", finishing at Russell Square
tfpkar: 2:59'16", finishing at Vauxhall
43019 and tangy: 3:"9'34", finishing at Russell Square

How bizzare we both posted at exactly the same time 1112pm

The last time for Julian and Mark should read 3hrs 29mins 34secs...
Make me look bad why don't you

Yes, synchronised posts are always spooky. Anyway, I didn't mention that I had two plans to get from Vauxhall to Bank! Either I could use the Waterloo and City (and I did) or change at Stockwell and go up on the Northern line. I then might have seen you there!

I still can't believe that you nearly ended up in Clapham...

Starkey7 wrote:Yes, synchronised posts are always spooky. Anyway, I didn't mention that I had two plans to get from Vauxhall to Bank! Either I could use the Waterloo and City (and I did) or change at Stockwell and go up on the Northern line. I then might have seen you there!

I still can't believe that you nearly ended up in Clapham...

I would have done as I didn't even look up assuming we were at Pimlico, was only when Cathryn said in a rather shocked tone "this is Stockwell"

Starkey7 wrote:Soup Dragon and Dr Who: 3:23'45", finishing at Russell Square

We actually finsihed at High Street Kensington, not that it matters we still finished 3rd

Full report with photos can be found here:

http://pic5.piczo.com/tubedragon/?g=22651133

Apologies in advance for the first picture...

My thanks also go to 43019 for organising a good challenge. Whilst our time was not great there were some memorable moments, like the 26 second change at Elephant & Castle from Bakerloo to Northern (beat that if you can) and a 51 second change at Kings X from Picadilly to Northern.