Just for fun - Virtual 'Race' to visit all UK railway stations

[flitwickbeds]

Just for fun (for now - I might actually attempt this in future!) I have put together a "race" to get round every UK mainland plus Isle of Wight station in the fastest possible time.

I have more fun planning this (in my head it's a cross between my two favourite games Tetris and Pacman!) but this is Day 12 and I've "done" all of Scotland and am down to Manchester.

This weekend is particularly interesting - nabbing Clifton (Manchester), Reddish South, Denton, Kirton Lindsey, Brigg and Teesside Airport in two days. I suspect I'm going to be thwarted before the end by Covid reduced timetables, let's see how we do!

The most interesting thing for me is probably trying to schedule in the limited stops stations - I've already done Heysham, and there's lots more such as Bordesley, Buckenham and Fishguard Harbour to come in the schedule. Obviously delays in the week might mean a total re-plan to ensure these can be hit.

I'm also checking in real-time and adjusting the route where necessary for late/cancelled trains. Today's route has had to be re-planning because of a 30 minute delay between Leeds and York, and I've fudged it where I ended up in Wick for a night expecting to get the first train back in the morning, but they were all cancelled the next day due to flooding. As I'd already nabbed the stations successfully on the way up, I reasoned that I could get a taxi or something to get me back to Inverness to pick up the next train!

Interested to hear your thoughts or how you would plan it any differently!

Race The Stations - List

 

[yorkie]

You may want to restrict yourself to just National Rail, otherwise you'd need to include Tramlink etc

 

[Peter C]

This sounds like jolly good fun! Apologies if this is really obvious, but how have you done/planned this? The idea has got me wondering if you could do some sort of 'All The Stations' thing from home, where instead of riding on trains, you can watch a cab ride view of that service? I expect that would be pretty hard but any missing videos could be counted as cancelled services?

-Peter

 

[flitwickbeds]

This sounds like jolly good fun! Apologies if this is really obvious, but how have you done/planned this? The idea has got me wondering if you could do some sort of 'All The Stations' thing from home, where instead of riding on trains, you can watch a cab ride view of that service? I expect that would be pretty hard but any missing videos could be counted as cancelled services?

-Peter

I coded a system which integrates with Google Maps and the RealTimeTrains API. Plotted every station on the map, with red icons. Use the RTT API to find trains and as I plan the route, the icons turn green. The trick (and the fun part for me) is planning so that you end up in a sensible place each night, build enough slack into the schedule to account for late/cancelled trains and catch up somewhere in the day (but not too much slack to slow you down and add too many days!), and hit the limited stops stations like Chathill, Pilning and Bordesley.

 

[flitwickbeds]

As for the cab videos, not really my thing but I'd have thought they wouldn't cover even half of the network? Plus in my schedule I only care for stations that trains call at, not the tracks they run on (so I don't care that I don't travel on all chords/junctions/tracks) as long as I am on a train which is schedule to stop (or be a request stop) on the trains I choose.

 

[Peter C]

I coded a system which integrates with Google Maps and the RealTimeTrains API. Plotted every station on the map, with red icons. Use the RTT API to find trains and as I plan the route, the icons turn green. The trick (and the fun part for me) is planning so that you end up in a sensible place each night, build enough slack into the schedule to account for late/cancelled trains and catch up somewhere in the day (but not too much slack to slow you down and add too many days!), and hit the limited stops stations like Chathill, Pilning and Bordesley.

Thanks for the explanation. Sounds really interesting and something I'd never have thought of.

As for the cab videos, not really my thing but I'd have thought they wouldn't cover even half of the network? Plus in my schedule I only care for stations that trains call at, not the tracks they run on (so I don't care that I don't travel on all chords/junctions/tracks) as long as I am on a train which is schedule to stop (or be a request stop) on the trains I choose.

Fair enough: I expect you're right with regards to coverage. I was thinking one could count each station the train passes through as a stop but that wouldn't work as well I suppose.

-Peter

 

[flitwickbeds]

First Coronavirus casualty on Day 16 (today) - Whitley Bridge, Hensall, Snaith and Rawcliffe.

They don't seem to be being served at all, on any day, by train or replacement bus.

 

[flitwickbeds]

Serious re-planning on days 17, 18, 19 and 20 because of the severe flooding in the Manchester area, affecting the carefully-planned route to get Ince and Elton, Stanlow and Thornton, and Sankey for Penketh.

Also Styal now seems to have no service at all on any day - presumably another Coronavirus casualty.

 

[[.n]]

This looks like fun. It could be a a fun challenge to give several people/teams different start points (starting on the same day) and seeing who wins a race to complete

 

[flitwickbeds]

This looks like fun. It could be a a fun challenge to give several people/teams different start points (starting on the same day) and seeing who wins a race to complete

I was wondering this exact same thing. The code I developed is already in a position where multiple planned routes can be worked on by different people simultaneously. I need to do some work on the real-time aspect of it as at the moment if there is (eg) a cancelled train I need to re-plan the route in the database directly. But wouldn't be that much work.

Would you be interested in a race? Anyone else?

 

[[.n]]

I was wondering this exact same thing. The code I developed is already in a position where multiple planned routes can be worked on by different people simultaneously. I need to do some work on the real-time aspect of it as at the moment if there is (eg) a cancelled train I need to re-plan the route in the database directly. But wouldn't be that much work.

Would you be interested in a race? Anyone else?

I would be up for a race. Would it also be possible to setup races so they only included a subset of stations (e.g. 100) and race around those as well - some shorter races might attract more competitors

 

[flitwickbeds]

I would be up for a race. Would it also be possible to setup races so they only included a subset of stations (e.g. 100) and race around those as well - some shorter races might attract more competitors

Yes. As I said it needs a bit of extra coding to account for individual users and real-time updates. I will work on that and come back when ready to use.

A (eg) "Northern-operated only" or "GWR only stations" race is also possible with some extra work on the database.

 

[Nunners]

I would be up for a race. Would it also be possible to setup races so they only included a subset of stations (e.g. 100) and race around those as well - some shorter races might attract more competitors

I think a race would be great fun. It would be a bit like the Tube Challenge or All The Stations - maybe we could be Geoff Marshall involved!

 

[Kite159]

How I would do a race:

Make 2 lists, one which has the 100 most awkward stations to call at (the 1/2 trains a day stations) with the other having the remaining ~ 2465 stations on a second list. Using a random number generator, generate say 10 stations from the first list and 90 from the second list (or even 5/95) which will give a list of 100 stations which in theory will be dotted over the country.

Then the race will be to see how you can plan a journey to call* at all 100 stations in the least amount of time starting at a set station (which could also be randomly generated) (*Or has the potential to call in the case of any request stops).

 

[HS2isgood]

I'd be up for a 100-station race, but I have a question: are RRC's, the Tube or Manchester Metrolink, or walking between stations allowed (I'm thinking of the Glasgow transfer, or cases like Newark)?

 

[[.n]]

How I would do a race:

Make 2 lists, one which has the 100 most awkward stations to call at (the 1/2 trains a day stations) with the other having the remaining ~ 2465 stations on a second list. Using a random number generator, generate say 10 stations from the first list and 90 from the second list (or even 5/95) which will give a list of 100 stations which in theory will be dotted over the country.

Then the race will be to see how you can plan a journey to call* at all 100 stations in the least amount of time starting at a set station (which could also be randomly generated) (*Or has the potential to call in the case of any request stops).

If I were doing this may stations I just do all of them, with a common starting point (which I would make one of the bigger mainline stations - e.g. London KGX - somewhere where immediately there are a number of options) or a subset of random stations, with the starting point being either a) one of those stations or b) somewhere bigger again e.g. Edinburgh Waverly

I'd be up for a 100-station race, but I have a question: are RRC's, the Tube or Manchester Metrolink, or walking between stations allowed (I'm thinking of the Glasgow transfer, or cases like Newark)?

We could just use the established Tube Challenge rules, slightly modified to take into account we don't have realtime information for other public transport (buses/tubes/etc). I imagine that we would also have to account for minimum interchange times at stations in any case

 

[flitwickbeds]

The rules when doing my all-station race (today is Day 28, currently heading towards Penzance to pick up Lelant Saltings via replacement bus in the morning and also Coombe Junction Halt in the afternoon tomorrow) were:

- I can stop at one station for the evening and pickup from another station in the same town in the morning (I think on one day I end at Blackpool North and the next day start from Blackpool South, and there are many many occasions where I finish at one London terminus and pickup the next day from another).

- Request stops are only allowed where the train marks this as a potential stop, ie i cannot get a fast train through which wouldn't have stopped in any circumstance - this only really applies at a few request stops anyway as they are largely always on the schedule.

- I am allowed to walk between stations in the same town (ie Wigan) but a train solution is preferred where available (ie Wakefield)

- Replacement buses are allowed (ie Isle of Wight due to the current works)

- Connection times at stations have to be respected. I generally always allowed 5 minutes anyway. I think there was one time I allowed a 4 minute connection but only because it was the same platform.

- Had to spend each night at a reasonably sized town OR the end of a line - so Wick is allowed, but (say) Dalwhinnie isn't.

When doing the real-time checking I allowed myself a taxi between Wick and Inverness as all the trains were cancelled for the whole day and I'd already ticked off the stations on the line on the way up the previous day. Pretty sure this would be flexing my own rules though!

 

[flitwickbeds]

How I would do a race:

Make 2 lists, one which has the 100 most awkward stations to call at (the 1/2 trains a day stations) with the other having the remaining ~ 2465 stations on a second list. Using a random number generator, generate say 10 stations from the first list and 90 from the second list (or even 5/95) which will give a list of 100 stations which in theory will be dotted over the country.

Then the race will be to see how you can plan a journey to call* at all 100 stations in the least amount of time starting at a set station (which could also be randomly generated) (*Or has the potential to call in the case of any request stops).

Would your awkward list also include the 1/2 trains a WEEK stations?

 

[flitwickbeds]

If I were doing this may stations I just do all of them, with a common starting point (which I would make one of the bigger mainline stations - e.g. London KGX - somewhere where immediately there are a number of options) or a subset of random stations, with the starting point being either a) one of those stations or b) somewhere bigger again e.g. Edinburgh Waverly

We could just use the established Tube Challenge rules, slightly modified to take into account we don't have realtime information for other public transport (buses/tubes/etc). I imagine that we would also have to account for minimum interchange times at stations in any case

I deliberately didn't make a fixed starting point - in fact I have done various experiments over the months starting at various places, including a London terminus. I found the best routes were starting at the end of a very long line as it reduces at least one of the "doubling back" moves you have to make. In this current, live version I started at Oban. I have also made attempts starting at Fishguard Harbour (only one train a day at lunchtime, so you waste your first morning), Wick (you have to double back to Inverness to get the line through Aviemore and the line through Aberdeen), Penzance (works quite well but you have to double back to get both lines into Devon from Bristol and Salisbury) and various London termini (works OK, but if you then focus first on London to get the suburban routes first, you have to keep coming back in and out of the city to get the longer distance lines covered)

 

[flitwickbeds]

The first thing I thought of when a subset of stations race was mentioned was "just the awkward ones"! That would be very hard, interesting and ultimately boring, I think.

I do like the idea of randomising it each time!

 

[Kite159]

Would your awkward list also include the 1/2 trains a WEEK stations?

Indeed, for they are quite awkward.

It would be a list of the 100 Least Served stations, the likes of Thorpe Culvert, Polesworth, Clifton, Tees-Side Airport etc. Could be something like this, although no doubt I have forgotten about some (but those can easily replace some of the Kyle/Far North/Mallaig stations)

 

[SteveM70]

It might make for a more interesting race if the start point was Birmingham, as it offers the most different directions to head off in, and hopefully means all of the wacky racers take wildly different routes

 

[flitwickbeds]

It might make for a more interesting race if the start point was Birmingham, as it offers the most different directions to head off in, and hopefully means all of the wacky racers take wildly different routes

As discussed above, starting in the middle of somewhere isn't necessarily the best plan as it means you have to keep looping back on yourself to take other lines. With Birmingham specifically you have the added complication of Bordesley, which has one scheduled train a week around 1:30pm on Saturdays. So, assuming you start on a Saturday, you can either:

a) Waste all morning doing nothing to ensure you hit BBS

b) Try and do some suburban Brum area stations before about 1pm with the risk that a train is late/cancelled and you miss the one train a week to BBS, so have to come back in 7 days time

c) Deliberately plan to come back to Brum the next week to get BBS after doing some of the longer distance routes from the city

Also, it is possible (though not necessarily desirable) to do Reddish South [RDS] in Manchester, Bordesley [BBS], Kirton Lindsey [KTL], and Brigg [BGG] in one day. All of those have trains on Saturdays only. And then you can hop up to Teesside Airport the day after. Problem is doing this in the required time leaves many gaps in the route so you end up having to retrace the lines to tick off the smaller stations that the original, faster, trains didn't stop at.

 

[flitwickbeds]

Today, Day 30, was actually made easier/shorter by COVID timetables as all trains are calling at Pinhoe, Cranbrook, Whimple, Feniton and Honiton so there was no need to double-back at Axminster and again at Exeter to tick them all off!

 

[peterblue]

It might be prudent to allow bus connections where this may save a lot of time.

 

[flitwickbeds]

It might be prudent to allow bus connections where this may save a lot of time.

Where did you have in mind? In an earlier version I used taxis to travel between the ends of the Cardiff Valley lines to save the hour-long reverse train journey back into the station. I also planned a taxi between Whitby and Scarborough, and a ferry/taxi option between Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig.

Those however I decided was cheating so removed them for this version. Other forms of public transport should be allowed in my opinion (for example I have to use the ferry to and from the Isle of Wight, and would use the Tube - albeit overnight, outside of the race itself - to travel between a London terminus I finished at in the evening and a different one I'm starting at in the morning.

Main problems are finding an accurate timetable online to plan it properly, and then doing the real-time updates as you'd never know, unless you're actually doing the race physically, whether the bus was on time or even ran at all, in order to meet your connection.

 

[flitwickbeds]

First non-COVID timetable-related casualty in two days' time - Day 39.

Polesworth, which only has one train a day, in one direction only, very early in the morning.

A landslip has closed the line from Nuneaton to Tamworth until "at least" the end of this week, and there is no calls scheduled on the RRBs working the route.

 

[peterblue]

Where did you have in mind? In an earlier version I used taxis to travel between the ends of the Cardiff Valley lines to save the hour-long reverse train journey back into the station. I also planned a taxi between Whitby and Scarborough, and a ferry/taxi option between Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig.

Those however I decided was cheating so removed them for this version. Other forms of public transport should be allowed in my opinion (for example I have to use the ferry to and from the Isle of Wight, and would use the Tube - albeit overnight, outside of the race itself - to travel between a London terminus I finished at in the evening and a different one I'm starting at in the morning.

Main problems are finding an accurate timetable online to plan it properly, and then doing the real-time updates as you'd never know, unless you're actually doing the race physically, whether the bus was on time or even ran at all, in order to meet your connection.

The main example is the ferry/bus connection from Mallaig to Kyle.

Several smaller examples between closely connected branch lines such as:
-holyhead reverse back to bangor, then bus to caernafon, then bus to pwllheli
-to whitby, then bus to scarborough, train to malton, train back to scarborough, then train to Hull.
-Several valley line termini can be traversed between via bus
-Blackpool north to south
-Clacton to Walton
-harwich to felixstowe

And plenty of others too!

 

[flitwickbeds]

So last night, 3 minutes early, the 21:21 Windsor Riverside to London Waterloo rolled into the platform and completed my virtual race in 51 days. It was originally 52 but I re-planned the end few days and had some (very) late nights followed by (very) early starts in order to save a whole day doing the c2c network.

I did however miss 22 stations:

1. DNO Dunrobin Castle - Only served in summer timetables, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
2. FOC Falls of Cruachan - Only served in summer timetables, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
3. WBD Whitley Bridge - Whole line not running during COVID emergency timetables
4. HEL Hensall - Whole line not running during COVID emergency timetables
5. SNI Snaith - Whole line not running during COVID emergency timetables
6. RWC Rawcliffe - Whole line not running during COVID emergency timetables
7. SYA Styal - Not being served during COVID emergency timetables
8. LPG Llanfairpwll - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
9. VAL Valley - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
10. LLA Llanaber - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
11. LBR Llanbedr - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
12. LDN Llandanwg - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
13. TYG Tygwyn - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
14. ABH Abererch - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
15. BOW Bow Street - Brand new station which opened during the race but long after I had left Wales!
16. PSW Polesworth - Trains were not stopping due to a landslip and replacement bus in operation which never called at this parliamentary station. Service (once a day, in one direction only) has since restarted to this station.
17. HPT Hopton Heath - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
18. GFF Gillfach Fargoed - Not stopping due to social distancing requirements, passed twice on trains in the race anyway
19. TRE Trefforest Estate - Not stopping due to COVID emergency timetables, passed twice on trains in the race anyway. Services have since restarted to this station.
20. CDB Cardiff Bay - No trains on whole branch line due to COVID emergency timetable.
21. SAB Smallbrook Junction - Isle of Wight line being upgraded so replacement buses all the way, however none stop at this station (which only exists as a connection to a steam railway and has no road or pedestrian access).
22. HAF Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 - Not being served during COVID as terminal is closed and all airline resources focused on other terminals.

Of these, I only truly count 3 as true failures: Bow Street, as I could have in theory gone back there or planned Wales to be after the station opening date, Polesworth as if I'd planned that a week before or a week later I would have got it, and Trefforest Estate as services resumed there after I had left Wales so I could have gone back.

There are notes for each day at

Race The Stations - List

I have learnt a lot from this and will start planning another virtual race, which maybe others can join in on, shortly!

 

[[.n]]

Thanks for the update, and look forward to another attempt