Darren R
Established Member
GENERAL NOTES AND INFORMATION
TIMETABLES
This quiz predates the public availability of the rail industry's internal Working Timetable. We have always used the public timetables published either by National Rail or individual train operators, and this remains the case. The existence of a schedule in the Working Timetable (and, by extension, Realtime Trains and other similar websites) does not, in itself, necessarily prove that a posted move is valid. We do not use the Working Timetable for definitive answers as to validity. We use the operator's long-term timetables that are in force at the time of posting, taking into account any closures or amendments that may be listed in the Red Section.
MAPS
The existence of a line on a map does not necessarily equate to a train between the stations at either end. For example, Runcorn to Frodsham hasn't been possible for over twenty years, and the Parliamentary train has run on Summer Saturdays only for many years. However, this is due to change with the introduction of regular services scheduled to commence in December 2018, and service provision over similar chords elsewhere will also change. Do not assume that just because there was a train in March that it is still running in June - check it first. If a leg containing a mistake concludes before it is spotted, the leg will not score any points.
ENGINEERING CLOSURES AND DIVERSIONS
For our purposes, we generally ignore closures unless they exceed a month, or appear in long term public timetables such as the electronic National Rail Timetable. The Red Section is there to serve as a reminder of long term closures, whether planned or unexpected. The onus is on individual players to check the details of timetables to see what trains are still running.
ADJUDICATIONS
For the most part, disagreements are usually sorted out quite quickly and politely. However, if an impasse is reached and an official adjudication is necessary, then a halt should be called until an adjudication has been made.
There is no reasonable expectation that an adjudicator should always be around, and nor is there any divine right to demand and receive an adjudication immediately. There is life beyond this forum, and virtually all of it is more important. If that means that play comes to a halt for some time until an adjudication can be made, then so be it. Players will have to amuse themselves elsewhere on the Forum in the meantime!
STARTING A NEW LEG
Remember that if you claim victory and start a new leg whilst valid moves were still available, you forfeit the points from that leg. This has happened several times in the last couple of months.
Best practice is to wait to give other players time to find something that you have missed before starting a new leg.
May I also request that starting a new leg be done in a new post. Combining the last station of one leg with the first station of the next leg in the same post is becoming increasingly problematic to me when scoring, so stop it!
CALEDONIAN SLEEPER SERVICES
There are certain moves that can only be made on the Caledonian Sleeper. For the definitive answer as to the validity of any move, go to the long term timetables published on the Caledonian Sleeper website:
https://www.sleeper.scot/tickets-timetables/timetables
What the Working Timetable or Realtime Trains says is irrelevant. These are the timetables we use. This is in order to prevent confusion about the various portion workings and unadvertised station calls that only apply to the Caledonian Sleeper services.
LONG WAIT AND PARLIAMENTARY BONUSES
Firstly, please stop posting notes to the scorer. It serves no purpose other than making the post almost impossible to make sense of when I come to it on the spreadsheet. Simply adding the word 'Bonus' beneath the station name is quite sufficient to serve as a reminder on the odd ocassion I might need one.
I always check every move, and will have already awarded any bonus points as may be appropriate before I see any notes left for me. Additionally, bonus points claimed have not always actually been earned. (Incidentally, it also works the other way around - I often award bonus points that nobody has spotted were due.)
I have received requests to clarify the circumstances that the different bonuses are scored and when. Unfortunately I can give no simple and definitive answer to that, but I shall attempt to give some clarity.
The Long Wait Bonus is relatively straightforward in that the rules stipulate fewer than three trains a day. However, don't forget to include Saturday and Sunday services. There are plenty of rural stations that have a better service at weekends, particularly on the East Anglia branch lines. Should a station only have one train per day Mondays to Fridays, but three or more trains on a Sunday, it won't score the Long Wait Bonus. (Lakenheath, for instance, in the current timetable.)
The Parliamentary Bonus is rather less clear cut. It depends upon both frequency of trains per day, and the number of days each week that a service operates. Some Parly services seem obvious, such as the Stockport to Stalybridge service. It runs on one day a week only, and it is the only passenger service between most of the stations it calls at en route. However, there are three Northern-operated services between Stalybridge and Guide Bridge in both directions Mondays to Fridays. Therefore Stalybridge to Guide Bridge will not score any bonus, but Guide Bridge to Denton, Denton to Reddish South, and Reddish South to Stockport would all receive the 5 point Parliamentary Bonus.
In other places it is less easy to say. Whether a service is a Parly or not depends not just on the level of service over the course of the week, but also the absence of any other passenger trains. For example, Stockton to Eaglescliffe is currently only possible on two trains that operate on Sundays only, a level of service that would ordinarily qualify it for the Parliamentary Bonus. However, there are other passenger trains that operate over the route (albeit not calling at those stations), which means it would only score the Long Wait Bonus instead. It cannot be claimed to be a 'Parly' when other trains operate over the route.
Conversely, by the same standards, Retford - Gainsborough Central - Kirton Lindsey - Brigg - Barnetby does qualify for the 5 point Parly bonuses. Although there are three trains in each direction, they only run on Saturdays and no other passenger trains run via that route. (However, it should be noted that this too is scheduled to change from December 2018.)
Also, don't forget it is the move that scores the points, not the station. This should especially be borne in mind in relation to trips between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill (and vice versa.)
I hope that helps matters: I'll permalink this from the second post along with the scoreboard links if people think it might be useful.
And now it is most definitely way beyond my bedtime.
TIMETABLES
This quiz predates the public availability of the rail industry's internal Working Timetable. We have always used the public timetables published either by National Rail or individual train operators, and this remains the case. The existence of a schedule in the Working Timetable (and, by extension, Realtime Trains and other similar websites) does not, in itself, necessarily prove that a posted move is valid. We do not use the Working Timetable for definitive answers as to validity. We use the operator's long-term timetables that are in force at the time of posting, taking into account any closures or amendments that may be listed in the Red Section.
MAPS
The existence of a line on a map does not necessarily equate to a train between the stations at either end. For example, Runcorn to Frodsham hasn't been possible for over twenty years, and the Parliamentary train has run on Summer Saturdays only for many years. However, this is due to change with the introduction of regular services scheduled to commence in December 2018, and service provision over similar chords elsewhere will also change. Do not assume that just because there was a train in March that it is still running in June - check it first. If a leg containing a mistake concludes before it is spotted, the leg will not score any points.
ENGINEERING CLOSURES AND DIVERSIONS
For our purposes, we generally ignore closures unless they exceed a month, or appear in long term public timetables such as the electronic National Rail Timetable. The Red Section is there to serve as a reminder of long term closures, whether planned or unexpected. The onus is on individual players to check the details of timetables to see what trains are still running.
ADJUDICATIONS
For the most part, disagreements are usually sorted out quite quickly and politely. However, if an impasse is reached and an official adjudication is necessary, then a halt should be called until an adjudication has been made.
There is no reasonable expectation that an adjudicator should always be around, and nor is there any divine right to demand and receive an adjudication immediately. There is life beyond this forum, and virtually all of it is more important. If that means that play comes to a halt for some time until an adjudication can be made, then so be it. Players will have to amuse themselves elsewhere on the Forum in the meantime!
STARTING A NEW LEG
Remember that if you claim victory and start a new leg whilst valid moves were still available, you forfeit the points from that leg. This has happened several times in the last couple of months.
Best practice is to wait to give other players time to find something that you have missed before starting a new leg.
May I also request that starting a new leg be done in a new post. Combining the last station of one leg with the first station of the next leg in the same post is becoming increasingly problematic to me when scoring, so stop it!
CALEDONIAN SLEEPER SERVICES
There are certain moves that can only be made on the Caledonian Sleeper. For the definitive answer as to the validity of any move, go to the long term timetables published on the Caledonian Sleeper website:
https://www.sleeper.scot/tickets-timetables/timetables
What the Working Timetable or Realtime Trains says is irrelevant. These are the timetables we use. This is in order to prevent confusion about the various portion workings and unadvertised station calls that only apply to the Caledonian Sleeper services.
LONG WAIT AND PARLIAMENTARY BONUSES
Firstly, please stop posting notes to the scorer. It serves no purpose other than making the post almost impossible to make sense of when I come to it on the spreadsheet. Simply adding the word 'Bonus' beneath the station name is quite sufficient to serve as a reminder on the odd ocassion I might need one.
I always check every move, and will have already awarded any bonus points as may be appropriate before I see any notes left for me. Additionally, bonus points claimed have not always actually been earned. (Incidentally, it also works the other way around - I often award bonus points that nobody has spotted were due.)I have received requests to clarify the circumstances that the different bonuses are scored and when. Unfortunately I can give no simple and definitive answer to that, but I shall attempt to give some clarity.
The Long Wait Bonus is relatively straightforward in that the rules stipulate fewer than three trains a day. However, don't forget to include Saturday and Sunday services. There are plenty of rural stations that have a better service at weekends, particularly on the East Anglia branch lines. Should a station only have one train per day Mondays to Fridays, but three or more trains on a Sunday, it won't score the Long Wait Bonus. (Lakenheath, for instance, in the current timetable.)
The Parliamentary Bonus is rather less clear cut. It depends upon both frequency of trains per day, and the number of days each week that a service operates. Some Parly services seem obvious, such as the Stockport to Stalybridge service. It runs on one day a week only, and it is the only passenger service between most of the stations it calls at en route. However, there are three Northern-operated services between Stalybridge and Guide Bridge in both directions Mondays to Fridays. Therefore Stalybridge to Guide Bridge will not score any bonus, but Guide Bridge to Denton, Denton to Reddish South, and Reddish South to Stockport would all receive the 5 point Parliamentary Bonus.
In other places it is less easy to say. Whether a service is a Parly or not depends not just on the level of service over the course of the week, but also the absence of any other passenger trains. For example, Stockton to Eaglescliffe is currently only possible on two trains that operate on Sundays only, a level of service that would ordinarily qualify it for the Parliamentary Bonus. However, there are other passenger trains that operate over the route (albeit not calling at those stations), which means it would only score the Long Wait Bonus instead. It cannot be claimed to be a 'Parly' when other trains operate over the route.
Conversely, by the same standards, Retford - Gainsborough Central - Kirton Lindsey - Brigg - Barnetby does qualify for the 5 point Parly bonuses. Although there are three trains in each direction, they only run on Saturdays and no other passenger trains run via that route. (However, it should be noted that this too is scheduled to change from December 2018.)
Also, don't forget it is the move that scores the points, not the station. This should especially be borne in mind in relation to trips between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill (and vice versa.)
I hope that helps matters: I'll permalink this from the second post along with the scoreboard links if people think it might be useful.
And now it is most definitely way beyond my bedtime.
Last edited:
