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Welcome to the 2023/24 Random 15 season!

If you are new to all of this:
Welcome to the 2023/24 Random 15 Championship. I am your host (commonly known to regulars as the BERC when I am hosting Random 15 challenges). The Random 15 challenge is just that, visit 15 randomly selected stations that feature on the Tube Map (usually within zones 1-2 and using the Underground network only). There will be certain rounds within the championship that are a variation of this such as adding an extra zone or network e.g. DLR onto the challenge. So are you ready to take on the Random 15 championship?

The rules and scoring are unchanged from previous seasons but if anyone is not familiar with them, or needs a refresh, you can view them here: http://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubecha ... 5rules.htm

Details for round 5:
When: Saturday 1st June 2024 12:30 UK local time.
Starting at: Aldgate East (meet in the western ticket hall- the station entrance closest to Aldgate).
Post challenge pub: The Blue Posts, 81 Newman Street, Marylebone W1T 3EU (in between Oxford Circus and TCR, north of Oxford Street). Evening meals available upstairs from 17:00.
Variant:15 from 20 twist.
Time limit: Twist round, 6 hours (though unlikely to need 6 hours on this twist).

Closures affecting the challenge (correct at time of posting):
Central: No service North Acton - West Ruislip.
Waterloo & City line: Usual weekend closure.

Therefore all LU stations in zone 1 & 2 can be visited by LU train.

Other closures to be aware of:
c2c: Fenchurch Street closed. Trains diverted to/from Liverpool Street via Stratford.
Crossrail: No service Abbey Wood / Stratford - Paddington. Trains from the outer ends diverted to the mainline platforms at Paddington or Liverpool Street. Reduced frequency on west end of line.
Great Western Railway: No Greenford branch shuttle
Overground (West Anglia): No service Hackney Downs - Enfield Town / Cheshunt. Trains to / from Chingford will make additional calls at Cambridge Heath and London Fields.
Thameslink: No service West Hampstead Thameslink - Luton.

The "15 from 20" twist is quite simple- at the start the envelope will contain a list of 20 stations... you only need to visit 15 of them. Which 15 you choose to visit is entirely your/your teams choice.

Please post below or respond to the Facebook Random 15 group event posting if you are planning on attendance so I have an estimate on numbers. Thanks.

Tangy.
The BERC.

Ooo, two 15 out of 20 rounds in the same season!

Attending: Lotg

I will be there.

This twist does mean that technically we don't have to visit the starting station, providing we ultimately visit 15 stations, right?

Attending: Lotg, JamesWright, Oggm+1

Oggm wrote: ↑21 May 2024, 10:22 This twist does mean that technically we don't have to visit the starting station, providing we ultimately visit 15 stations, right?

Yes, the start station can be one of the 5 stations you decide not to visit.

Attending:
Lotg
The Raven

Unfortunately I offered to help a friend out with an exhibition on 1st June, forgetting that it was an R15 day. Which is a shame, as this sounds like a good twist!

Sadly at Worcester races

In shock news, the BERC and championship leader has been given a 20 point penalty for arriving late. This motion was passed unanimously by all challengers present.

NOOOOO! dont believe it

My route

Aldgate East Whitechapel Canada Water London Bridge Clapham North Stockwell Victoria Blackfriars King's Cross St Pancras Highbury and Islington King's Cross St Pancras Russell Square Goodge Street Archway Camden Town Hampstead Swiss Cottage Bond Street Marble Arch

For most, such a twist would be a blessing, but for my indecisive brain, it turned out to be a curse, I changed by route about 5 times during the challenge. The delayed start definitely hindered me, messing up the train times which I checked previously (which probably wouldn't have helped me that much).

As with almost everyone else, I jumped on the H&C already in the platform @ Aldgate East, regretting my decision immediately (knowing it would be faster to go e/b to Whitechapel), changed at Moorgate for London Bridge, arter which I picked up Canada Water through a smooth double back. Down to Clapham North, via Brorough, changing at Bridge again. Missing the double back on the island platform by 10 seconds, waiting 3 mins on the platform, before heading my way to Vauxhall via Stockwell. Run to Nine Elms meeting Muadh running the other way, waiting 3 mins again for train to provide me with a super close double back at Battersea Power Station Station. Northern to Embankment where I intended to double back and return from Blackfriars, but the 4 min wait for the train was not worth it, back on the Northern line to Leicester Square, one train behind. Onto the Picc to KXX via Russel Square, onto the Victoria to Highbury & Islington, just missing the overground connection to Camden Road by 10 seconds (football fans), luckily the next train was only 3 mins later. Almost broke my foot running down the stairs at Camden Road, before barging my way past 100 100 year old tourists, down the spiral staircase @ Camden Town (thinking it was probably quicker to get there via Euston), took the first n/b train to Archway, a depressing 4 min double back there to TCR via Warren Street and Goodge Street. Infuriated that the Station Master app had somehow forgotten to include exits for the Central line from the Northern Line at TCR, I gambled on my memory to lead me to 6:3, and thank goodness I was right, just making the Central line to Marble Arch, where my dad was waiting for me with resupplies for water and food. Back to Bond Street, up to Baker Street, and just missed my final connection onto the Bakerloo due to Football Fans completely baricading me. Not much harm done, next train was a minuite behind, finished @ Kilburn Park, with a time of 02:33.15 - could have been better, much better, could have been worse, much worse. And somehow, my personal R15 record, so far each of my consecutive 3 entries have all yielded quicker times.

And right now, I'm thinking that it would be faster to miss out BPS, and go for those burnt potato fingers instead.

By the way, Muadh made use of 4 different NR operators during the challenge: c2c, Southern, SouthWestern, and London Overground, surely thats a record for a London Underground only round. Mind you, I only used 3 different NR TOC's during the NR twist of this season.

Tangy gave me the fright of my life when I was declaring my route, saying I had visited 16 stations , luckily it was a simple mistake of misscounting.

Opening the envelope at ALDGATE EAST, I was a bit stumped at first. Nothing anywhere nearby and nothing I could tick off on the westbound H&C waiting in the platform. In the end, I plumped for the District train a few minutes behind as I meant I could tick off Blackfriars without much bother.

So Tangy, Peter and myself headed to BLACKFRIARS. Tangy doubled back here. The pair of us ended up having very similar routes. I got out at Temple and ran to Holborn. Peter said that he was going all the way to East Putney but we could tell he wasn't being serious. (I don't know what he did but since it was stated at the results that no-one visited East Putney he didn't do that.)

Just missed a northbound Piccadilly at Holborn and about 3 minutes for the next one. Through RUSSELL SQUARE to KXSP and continued heading north. Why, I hear you ask? I had mis-read the station list and mistook Archway for Arsenal. Fortunately I found out as I went to tick the station off the list I had and couldn't find it. More minor mess-ups follows. I jumped on the very back of a southbound Victoria train at Finsbury Park to then discover I needed to be at the very front, causing me to sprint forward 4 carriages on the platforms at both HIGHBURY & ISLINGTON and KXSP. Then a very good cross-platform at Euston but the on-train announcement said that the next station was Kings Cross St. Pancras and I realised that I was on the wrong train. Managed to jump off before the doors closed and I went down the secret corridor to the right platform.

The rest of the challenge went very well, despite some heavy crowds. North to CAMDEN TOWN. My original plan was to head down the Charing Cross branch from here but I now needed one more station. Archway or Hampstead looked most convinient, and I was on a High Barnet train, so I ended up visiting ARCHWAY after all. 30 second double back here, onto a Bank branch, so a change back at Camden Town was needed. Through WARREN STREET and GOODGE STREET to TCR, where I was at the right end of the train today. Still just missed a connection though. Another 30 second double back at MARBLE ARCH and then changed at Bond Street to head to BAKER STREET. Longer double back here but then a good change to the Victoria at Green Park.

Through VAUXHALL to Stockwell, where I had 4 minutes for a southbound Northern Line train. In fact, 2 more southbound Victoria line trains passed through before it showed up. Perfect double back at CLAPHAM NORTH, leaving the station faster than if I'd have stayed on the same train. Through BOROUGH to London Bridge, where I messed up doors positions and got stuck getting off the platform, before taking the Jubilee east through CANADA WATER to finish at CANNING TOWN.

Final route: Aldgate East Temple (run) Holborn Finsbury Park Euston Archway Camden Town TCR Marble Arch Bond Street Baker Street Green Park Stockwell Clapham North London Bridge Canning Town

Overall, a solid performance, but I reckon that the Archway/Arsenal blunder cost me about 10 minutes.

We all met up at Aldgate East ready for the 12:30 start, but wait, no Tangy ! It turns out there were major problems on his train so we couldn't start until 12:45. Today's twist was that there were 20 stations on the list of which we only had to visit 15, so our initial strategy was that we would take some time and map them out and plan a route. However we were a little spooked by the fact that the likely route was going to take us west, and we noticed that there was one H&C line train due at 12:45 and then no sign of the next one, so we just hurtled through the barriers and caught that train quickly trying to map the stations and noticing that there was nothing of any use on this line. We moved ourselves down the train to get into a good position at Moorgate where we caught a Northern line train southbound passing through Borough and onto Clapham North where we doubled back northbound to Stockwell. Here we changed to the Victoria Line and picked up Vauxhall and onto Victoria where we changed onto the sub surface eastbound to Blackfriars for another double back to Embankment. Back onto the Northern line here picking up Goodge Street and Warren Street, during which time we entirely changed our route (we were going to change to the Vic and head for Marble Arch) and went straight onto Camden Town. At this point we had done 8 stations in only just over an hour, but this was as good as it got. We had a few more route debates before Ian noticed that we weren't going to be visiting Highbury & Islington on an underground line so we had to quickly change again, making the mistake in hindsight of not carrying onto Hampstead, but instead turning round at Camden Town back to Kings Cross St Pancras, and onto the Piccadilly line to pass through Russell Square before changing to the Central Line at Holborn. We passed through Marble Arch all the way to White City where we endured our first slow change pulling into the station and then a long wait at Wood Lane. From here we got the Circle line all the way round to Kings Cross, and changed to the Victoria Line to Highbury & Islington changing to the Overground to Canada Water. We had a 5 minute wait for the Jubilee train which took us to Canning Town to finish in a time of 2:45:32.

Looking back at it I think the choice of stations caused us more problems than a normal set 15. First off we should have taken more time at Aldgate East to devise the route more carefully, and then we shouldn't have kept tinkering with the route. We actually got a lot of quick changes which probably saved us from being last, but our route took in too many stations and was inefficient.

Well done as usual to Tangy for the organisation of a fun event.

The results of round 5 of the 2023/24 Random 15 Championship held on Saturday 1st June.

This was a twist round, the twist being there would be 20 stations in the envelope but challengers needed to only visit any 15 of them, which 15 was entirely down to the challenger/s choice.

Therefore the stations were:
--Aldgate East (meet up)
--Vauxhall (LU)
--Camden Town
--Battersea Power Station
--Blackfriars (LU)
--Archway
--Borough
--Baker Street
--Marble Arch
--Clapham North
--East Putney
--Goodge Street
--Canning Town
--Wood Lane
--Highbury & Islington
--Hampstead
--Warren Street
--Kilburn Park
--Canada Water
--Russell Square

There were 16 challengers in 12 teams

12th: Peter Smyth who only visited 14 stations.
11th: Maudh Zeroual- 02:59:15 (exact details to follow).
10th: Edward Hill, Tom Hardy and Josh Valdez- 02:51:56 at Canning Town.
9th: Ian McIntyre and Ian Imrie- 02:45:12 at Canning Town.
8th: Glen Bryant- 02:43:58 at Marble Arch.
7th: Andrew Baker- 02:41:08 at Baker Street.
6th: Tangy- 02:37:02 at Canning Town.
5th: Milo Ogidel- 02:33:15 at Kilburn Park.
4th: Andy & David JS- 02:25:25 at Canning Town.
3rd: James Wright- 02:23:13 at Kilburn Park.
2nd: Andrew Chilcraft- 02:16:31 at Canning Town.
1st: James Ramsbottom- 07:07:18 at Canning Town.

Out of interest, 19 out of the 20 stations listed were visited by at least one team. The one station that no one visited was East Putney.

The leaderboard with one round to go now looks like this:

1st: Tangy (51 points) (5 rounds attended)
2nd: James Ramsbottom (41) (4)
3rd: Andrew Chilcraft (39) (5)
4th: Ian McIntyre (33) (5)
5th: James Wright (30) (5)
6th: Ian Imrie (23) (4)
7th: Kevin Brown (18) (3)
8th: Andrew Baker (19) (4)
9th: Milo Ogidel (14) (3)
=10th: Glen Bryant (13) (2)
=10th: Rhys Jackson (13) (2)
=10th: Peter Smyth (13) (4)
=10th: Vincent Karthaus (13) (3)
14th: Rhys Benjamin (12) (2)
15th: Richard Standing (11) (3)
16th: Yifan Luo (8) (2)
=17th: Michael Tsang (7) (3)
=17th: Andy JS (7) (4)
=17th: David JS (7) (4)
20th: Matthew Cook (6) (1)
21st: Michaela Mrockova (4) (1)
=22nd: James Beck (2) (2)
=22nd: Sam Beck (2) (2)
=22nd: Edward Hill (2) (3)
=22nd: Tom Hardy (2) (3)
=22nd: Joshua Valdez (2) (3)
=27th: Brady Sahr (0) (1)
=27th: Nick (0) (1)
=27th: Kate (0) (1)
=27th: Stephen Moore (0) (1)
=27th: Muadh Zeroual (0) (1)

Remember those who attend round six but have already competed in all five previous rounds will have their worst score deducted from the total score.

The next round is scheduled for Saturday 27th July 2024.

Tangy.
The BERC.