Can you beat the train???
Discussion
I was recently reading about a historic race in the 90's where a bunch of sports cars raced the Orient Express from London to Venice and it got me thinking. Could this be done again??
My initial thoughts were probably not so i started thinking about alternatives.
The longest UK train is Aberdeen to Penzance. It takes 13 hours, 27 minutes.
Google maps says, with traffic, it would take 13 hours and 7 minutes in the car.
I feel a challenge coming on.
The question is simple:
Can you beat the train?
Who wants to try?
If i get enough interest then i will look into it in more detail. Who knows, we can even arrange a celebratory drink at the end in Penznce.
This wouldn't be an official rally. More like an early Cannonball !!!
I would be doing it in my Boxster. Who's up for it and what have you got?
My initial thoughts were probably not so i started thinking about alternatives.
The longest UK train is Aberdeen to Penzance. It takes 13 hours, 27 minutes.
Google maps says, with traffic, it would take 13 hours and 7 minutes in the car.
I feel a challenge coming on.
The question is simple:
Can you beat the train?
Who wants to try?
If i get enough interest then i will look into it in more detail. Who knows, we can even arrange a celebratory drink at the end in Penznce.
This wouldn't be an official rally. More like an early Cannonball !!!
I would be doing it in my Boxster. Who's up for it and what have you got?
Can't see a direct service on timetables - I know it used to run but wonder if its been axed?
On a weekday you can do it in three legs, departing 0628 and arriving 1857, so an hour quicker than stated at 12 hours 29 minutes.
I think you could beat this in a car especially if speed limits don't have to be strictly adhered to.
On a weekday you can do it in three legs, departing 0628 and arriving 1857, so an hour quicker than stated at 12 hours 29 minutes.
I think you could beat this in a car especially if speed limits don't have to be strictly adhered to.
t hamster breaking a Vincent because he's too dumb to put fuel in it.theboss said:
Can't see a direct service on timetables - I know it used to run but wonder if its been axed?
On a weekday you can do it in three legs, departing 0628 and arriving 1857, so an hour quicker than stated at 12 hours 29 minutes.
I think you could beat this in a car especially if speed limits don't have to be strictly adhered to.
It's probably so slow that the journey planner tries to route you either via London or via Glasgow/Birmingham.On a weekday you can do it in three legs, departing 0628 and arriving 1857, so an hour quicker than stated at 12 hours 29 minutes.
I think you could beat this in a car especially if speed limits don't have to be strictly adhered to.
If you tick the "Direct trains only" box on NationalRail.co.uk it appears, departing Aberdeen at 0820 & arriving Penzance at 21:43 tomorrow. 43 intermediate stops.
Would it be a fair race if you raced it in the car though? The section south of Birmingham would be pretty much the same, but the train goes via Fife, Edinburgh, the East Coast to York, then via Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield & Derby to Birmingham (so A92, A1, M1, M42 basically), whereas if you were driving, you'd probably short-cut by staying on the A90 to Perth then A9, M9, M80, M73, M74, M6.
[quote=Wozy68]Which roads would you take though? I mean you can get to Glasgow and everywhere south from there to Devon by motorway. ...... Bit boring
But via Edinburgh is the great A7 for example.[/quote
The idea of the race is to race the train. There wouldn't be a set route. It would be up to each individual to choose their own route.
Regarding the train, I the three stopping one is 12 hours then this just makes it that bit harder
But via Edinburgh is the great A7 for example.[/quote
The idea of the race is to race the train. There wouldn't be a set route. It would be up to each individual to choose their own route.
Regarding the train, I the three stopping one is 12 hours then this just makes it that bit harder
HavIng checked with National Rail there is a direct train from Aberdeen to Penzance which departs at 08.20 on Saturdays. This is probably the one to race. Probably looking August / September time. Need to see how many people are genuinely interested? And in what car? I'm sure one of the magazines would be interested in the story?
What would make it fun if it was done only via A, B or unclassified roads where available.
There are many many old major routes which are now either empty A or downgraded to B roads or even now unclassified that were once busy roads especially since the motorways were built. . It's amazing looking on old maps what was once the only routes available that have little traffic now.
There are many many old major routes which are now either empty A or downgraded to B roads or even now unclassified that were once busy roads especially since the motorways were built. . It's amazing looking on old maps what was once the only routes available that have little traffic now.
Most of the differences between budgeted (Google?) and actual car travel times I find is going through inner cities. Trains will always beat a car to get from outskirts of a city to the city centre. If the route goes through major cities, I think you will struggle to beat a train.
Outside towns and cities, so long as the motorways do not have accidents or roadworks with prolong lower speed limits and / or contraflow, if the budgeted trains and car travel times are similar, then I think you may be able to beat the trains.
Outside towns and cities, so long as the motorways do not have accidents or roadworks with prolong lower speed limits and / or contraflow, if the budgeted trains and car travel times are similar, then I think you may be able to beat the trains.
I was very interested when this thread first appeared as at the time I was in the process of planning something similar.
A friend and I spent last Friday night and Saturday morning trying to beat the overnight sleeper from Euston to Glasgow, and I'm very sorry to report that in the end the train beat us. After over 400 miles of driving we arrived at Glasgow Central seven minutes after the train.
We could have taken the obvious option and travelled by Motorway, but that would have been too easy. Instead we'd decided to stick to A and B-roads only, which meant finding a route that didn't use the A1(M) or the A74(M).
It's a bit annoying that our average speed would have been enough to get us there comfortably, if it hadn't been for an overnight closure on the A1 that cost us at least twenty minutes. The diversion was six miles longer, went through lots of villages and was absolutely full of trucks.
If anyone is planning something similar I'd advise considering carefully just how much of a challenge you want it to be - make it too easy and there's not much sense of achievement. Make it too hard and a single problem can cost you success. So, do I try again...?
A friend and I spent last Friday night and Saturday morning trying to beat the overnight sleeper from Euston to Glasgow, and I'm very sorry to report that in the end the train beat us. After over 400 miles of driving we arrived at Glasgow Central seven minutes after the train.
We could have taken the obvious option and travelled by Motorway, but that would have been too easy. Instead we'd decided to stick to A and B-roads only, which meant finding a route that didn't use the A1(M) or the A74(M).
It's a bit annoying that our average speed would have been enough to get us there comfortably, if it hadn't been for an overnight closure on the A1 that cost us at least twenty minutes. The diversion was six miles longer, went through lots of villages and was absolutely full of trucks.
If anyone is planning something similar I'd advise considering carefully just how much of a challenge you want it to be - make it too easy and there's not much sense of achievement. Make it too hard and a single problem can cost you success. So, do I try again...?
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
I was very interested when this thread first appeared as at the time I was in the process of planning something similar.
A friend and I spent last Friday night and Saturday morning trying to beat the overnight sleeper from Euston to Glasgow, and I'm very sorry to report that in the end the train beat us. After over 400 miles of driving we arrived at Glasgow Central seven minutes after the train.
We could have taken the obvious option and travelled by Motorway, but that would have been too easy. Instead we'd decided to stick to A and B-roads only, which meant finding a route that didn't use the A1(M) or the A74(M).
It's a bit annoying that our average speed would have been enough to get us there comfortably, if it hadn't been for an overnight closure on the A1 that cost us at least twenty minutes. The diversion was six miles longer, went through lots of villages and was absolutely full of trucks.
If anyone is planning something similar I'd advise considering carefully just how much of a challenge you want it to be - make it too easy and there's not much sense of achievement. Make it too hard and a single problem can cost you success. So, do I try again...?
I consider the way you tried to beat the train, the correct and honourable way. A friend and I spent last Friday night and Saturday morning trying to beat the overnight sleeper from Euston to Glasgow, and I'm very sorry to report that in the end the train beat us. After over 400 miles of driving we arrived at Glasgow Central seven minutes after the train.
We could have taken the obvious option and travelled by Motorway, but that would have been too easy. Instead we'd decided to stick to A and B-roads only, which meant finding a route that didn't use the A1(M) or the A74(M).
It's a bit annoying that our average speed would have been enough to get us there comfortably, if it hadn't been for an overnight closure on the A1 that cost us at least twenty minutes. The diversion was six miles longer, went through lots of villages and was absolutely full of trucks.
If anyone is planning something similar I'd advise considering carefully just how much of a challenge you want it to be - make it too easy and there's not much sense of achievement. Make it too hard and a single problem can cost you success. So, do I try again...?
So should you try it again? Yes IMO. Seven minutes late after 400 miles! You can't get much closer than that. Far more an achievement than (as you state) just taking the motorway.
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