Let's pretend...

[hwolge]

... it's May 17:th, around 6:30p. We are all standing behind the news paper both in Argyll St (next to Oxford Circus). The organisers give each of us an envelope. We know there will be a list of Z1+2 stations, including the start station Oxford Circus, that must be visited in the shortest possible time... At a given signal we open our envelopes - revealing the list of stations to visit (with "normal" Guinness rules):

Oxford Circus
Angel
Barbican
Belsize Park
Camden Town
Cannon Street
Finchley Road
Highbury & Islington
Hyde Park Corner
Parsons Green
Shepherd´s Bush (H&C Line)
St. Paul´s
Stockwell
Turnham Green
Warren Street
Waterloo

The question is: What order is the best?

[Going Underground]

The answer is very difficult considering on the day we are going to have to plan a route in probably less than 30 seconds

Did you intentionally make this devilishy difficult or were these generated at random

Just spent over 20 mins looking at this and I am not close to having a route

OH this is going to be fun on May 17th

[greatkingrat]

Well I will start the bidding at 2hr 48min finishing at Shepherds Bush.

[tpfkar]

OK.... I spent 90 seconds staring at a tube map before deciding to take a Central Line eastbound train.

While I'm on that, I've got about 8 mins to plan the rest of my route.

[8 minute pause]

Think I've got it - Belsize Park finish. 3 runs.

Not sure my route is a world beater, but I think it would be up there, depending on connections of course.

This is a stinking set of stations, with lots of reversing in my route sadly. I'd hope for more to be within running distance of each other, on the same lines, or having bus/rail connections for anyone who knows the general transport situation well.

[hwolge]

Well I will start the bidding at 2hr 48min finishing at Shepherds Bush.

H&C or Central?

Did you intentionally make this devilishy difficult or were these generated at random

I just took picked an arbitrary one out my randomly generated ones only checking the following minor details:
* Should be possible in around 3h, according to simulation (this was 3:03:55 - no running).
* Suggested route should not contain a change at Regent´s Park, since the time tables I used were the ones in effect during our world record, Sep 26th -06.

Think I've got it - Belsize Park finish. 3 runs.

Would you then drop by Andy and Rachel? (Living there according to Keith Lowe)

I'll post my suggested route tomorrow night - OK?

[Going Underground]

OK.... I spent 90 seconds staring at a tube map before deciding to take a Central Line eastbound train.

While I'm on that, I've got about 8 mins to plan the rest of my route.

[8 minute pause]

Think I've got it - Belsize Park finish. 3 runs.

Not sure my route is a world beater, but I think it would be up there, depending on connections of course.

This is a stinking set of stations, with lots of reversing in my route sadly. I'd hope for more to be within running distance of each other, on the same lines, or having bus/rail connections for anyone who knows the general transport situation well.

That was my initial thought jump on the central eastbound to St Pauls....
Finishing up at Finchley Road in just under 3 hours....
All very messy though

[hwolge]

This would had been my route:

Oxford Circus->(Vic,NB)->Warren Street->(Nor,NB)->Camden Town->(Nor,NB)->Belsize Park->(Nor,SB)->Angel->(Nor,NB)->King´s Cross St. Pancras->(Vic,NB)->Highbury & Islington->(Vic,SB)->King´s Cross St. Pancras->(Met,SB)->Barbican->(W,)->St. Paul´s->(Cen,EB)->Bank->(W,)->Monument->(Dis,WB)->Cannon Street->(Dis,WB)->Embankment->(Nor,SB)->Waterloo->(R,)->Vauxhall->(Vic,SB)->Stockwell->(Vic,NB)->Green Park->(Pic,WB)->Hyde Park Corner->(Pic,WB)->Earl´s Court->(Dis,WB)->Parsons Green->(Dis,EB)->Earl´s Court->(Dis,WB)->Turnham Green->(Dis,EB)->Hammersmith (District)->(W,)->Hammersmith (H&C Line)->(H&C,EB)->Shepherd´s Bush (H&C Line)->(H&C,EB)->Baker Street->(Met,NB)->Finchley Road

Which could be done by 21:08 (2h38m) with a bit of luck...

Actually I'm a bit puzzled by a couple of the details above:
* I'd probably go to Finsbury Park before Belsize Park - ovrriding my computer here!
* I'd also probably continue through Waterloo to Stockwell rather than messing with NR via Vauxhall...

Well, well, the human mind is pretty good in such decisions.

[Going Underground]

Interesting choices by the computer there Hakan, I agree the human choices look better

My route was very similiar and had an identical finish from Stockwell to Finchley Road.....

After getting to St Pauls is was the dreaded escalator link at Bank Monument than round to Cannon Street. Although I expect with local knowledge a run from Bank to Cannon Street would be better
Then Barbican, Angel, Camden Town, Belsize Park, Higbury & Islington, Warren Street, Waterloo, NOT using NR to Stockwell then finish as per Hakan....

I didn't actually run this through journey planner but rough estimate was sub 3 hours...

2 quite similar routes given the random nature of stations....

[hwolge]

Ok, Kevin, her´s one I think you'll enjoy:

Oxford Circus
Camden Town
Canary Wharf
Charing Cross
Earl´s Court
Fulham Broadway
Gloucester Road
Kensal Green
Kentish Town
Kilburn
Mansion House
Pimlico
Rotherhithe
Shadwell
Southwark
Surrey Quays

I'll admit I looked around a bit before I stumbled across this one. Should once again be doable in around 3h...

[tpfkar]

My route (as said before, I took a minute to decide my first train and a limit of 8 minutes after that) was as follows, all times on Journey Planner:

Oxford St - St Pauls 0-8 mins
Cannon St - Embankment 13-20 mins
Embankment - Stockwell 23-33 mins
Stockwell - Green Park 34-42 mins
Green Park-Earls Court 45-55 mins
Earls Court - Parsons Green 56-61 mins
Parsons Green Earls Court 61-67 mins
Earls Court - Turnham Green 69-79 mins
Turnham Green - Hammersmith 83-88 mins
Hammersmith - Baker St 94-112 mins
Baker St - Finchley Road 115-122 mins
Finchley Road - Great Portland St 124-132 mins
Warren St - Highbury & Islington 137-144 mins
Highbury & Islington - Kings Cross 145-149 mins
Kings Cross - Moorgate (via Barbican) 153-160 mins
Moorgate - Belsize Park 163-179 mins.

So 179mins, 2hrs 59. Well outside Hakan's claimed time sadly.

[hwolge]

Well, I'm not claiming anything, In fact my realistic estimate was just over three hours... My optimistic time was based on a few "perfect connections" according to the Journey Planner. I don't think there is a big difference between these two routes in reality - chance would be a more important factor.

[Going Underground]

Ok, Kevin, her´s one I think you'll enjoy:

Oxford Circus
Camden Town
Canary Wharf
Charing Cross
Earl´s Court
Fulham Broadway
Gloucester Road
Kensal Green
Kentish Town
Kilburn
Mansion House
Pimlico
Rotherhithe
Shadwell
Southwark
Surrey Quays

I'll admit I looked around a bit before I stumbled across this one. Should once again be doable in around 3h...

Thanks Hakan

Well at first glance my opening bid would be;

Bakerloo Waterloo ticking off Charing X
Change to Jubilee
Southwark Canary Wharf
Double back Canada Water
Surrey Quays double back Rotherhithe and Shadwell
Change onto District/Circle at Whitechapel
Ticking off Mansion House
Change at Victoria down to Pimlico and double back
Then Gloucester Road Earls Court
Fulham Braodway double back and up to Kensal Green (change at Paddington)
Stay on to Willesden Junction then NR to West Hampstead
Jubilee Kilburn then double back West Hampstead
NR to Kentish Town and finish at Camden Town..

Hope I haven't missed any.....

estimate around 2hrs 50mins but a lot depends on the NR timings...

[hwolge]

I think you mixed up Kilburn and Finchley Road... Otherwise it looks pretty good. I thought you'd like the two potential NR legs!

[Going Underground]

I think you mixed up Kilburn and Finchley Road... Otherwise it looks pretty good. I thought you'd like the two potential NR legs!

edited original message....

Not bad I come up with the route within 2 minutes of looking at the stations on the map...... wouldn't mind something similiar on the 17th...

Thanks for the NR opportunities

[Root]

Wouldn't it be fun if, from the starting station, you only knew the next station you had to visit. Once you get there, someone would be waiting to tell you where to go next.

I think that'd be great, but I doubt you would be able to find 15 or so non-racing volunteers.