Alphabet railway lines

[imagination]

Not sure if this has been done already.

You have to start at any station beginning with an A at 9AM on a Monday, then travel to a station beginning with B then C etc. The aim is to do it as fast as possible.

Note:
- You must alight and catch a different train at every station - you cannot continue on the same service that you were on previously (different services hauled by the same train are okay).
- You CAN alight at other stations for interchanges (please note your interchanges)
- Mainline railway stations only - no trams/underground/preserved lines etc. although these can be used to get to your destination. You can also walk between stations in the time set by NRE. You must leave and arrive by mainline train, however.
- There are no stations beginning with X or Z so after W just go to Y and then finish.
- London Paddington (for example) can ONLY be counted as an L
- You can leave your destination after 0 mins (so long as you are not catching the same train) even if that would not be possible. However you can NOT do an interchange midway along a section in less than the recommended interchange time.

You might want to consider that there are only 3 stations that begin with a V - London Victoria and Manchester Victoria are not allowed for V.

An example (though I'm sure it can be bested):
09:12 Albany Park - Bexley 09:14
09:30 Bexley - Crayford 09:33
10:03 Crayford - Dartford 10:08
10:31 Dartford - Erith 10:38
11:03 Erith - Falconwood 11:37 (via Dartford)
11:44 Falconwood - Gravesend 12:25 (via Dartford)
12:37 Gravesend - Higham 12:43
13:13 Higham - Ilford 14:36 (via Strood and Stratford)
14:39 Ilford - Jewellery Quarter 17:45 (via London Liverpool Street, London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Moor Street - see I said it wouldnt be very good)
17:56 Jewellery Quarter - Kidderminster 18:26
18:38 Kidderminster - Lye 18:54
19:29 Lye - Marston Green 20:41 (via Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham New Street)
21:01 Marston Green - Nuneaton 22:02 (via Coventry)
22:20 Nuneaton - Oxford 06:22 (Via London Euston and London Paddington)
06:37 Oxford - Pangbourne 07:17
07:37 Pangbourne - Queenstown Road 09:29 (via London Paddington and London Waterloo)
09:40 Queenstown Road - Richmond 09:58
10:06 Richmond - Staines 10:22
10:29 Staines - Twickenham 10:40
11:04 Twickenham - Upper Halliford 11:30 (via Teddington)
11:44 Upper Halliford - Vauxhall 12:29
12:37 Vauxhall - Wandsworth Town 12:46
13:40 Wandsworth Town - Yalding 15:18 (via London Waterloo, London Waterloo East and Tonbridge

Final arrival time - 15:18

Reckon you can beat that? Post your own routes

Earliest arrival time so far - 8:18 the following day by Railsigns

 

[scotsman]

Ok, so I broke a couple of rules

0909 Aberdour - Burntisland 0913
0913 Burntisland - Cardenden 0938
0938 Cardenden - Dunfermline Town 1001
1001 Dunfermline Town - Edinburgh Waverley 1035
1045 Edinburgh - Falkirk High 11:14
1114 Falkirk High - Glasgow Queen St 1137
1057 - Glasgow Queen St - High St 1059
1110 High Street (Glasgow) -Inverkip 1234
1254 Inverkip - Jordanhill 1430
1450 - Jordanhill - Kelvindale 1524
1454 Kelvindale - Lenzie 1559
1617 Lenzie - Maryhill 1709
1709 Maryhill -Nitshill 1814
1701 Nitshill - Oxenholme Lake District 1932
1932 Oxenholme Lake District - Penrith (North Lakes) 1957
2235 Penrith (North Lakes) - Queens Park (London) 0706
0731 Queens Park (London) - Raynes Park 0825
0828 Raynes Park - Streatham Common 0900
0913 Streatham Common - Tulse Hill 0924
0931 Tulse Hill - Upper Halliford 1030
1044 Upper Halliford -Vauxhall 1129
1137 Vauxhall - Wandsworth Town 1146
1240 Wandsworth Town - Yalding 1418

--EDIT--
Ok, just realised the glaring mistake!

 

[imagination]

Nice but I'm afraid that doesn't count. Firstly because you broke the same train rule several times, and secondly because you managed to leave a few stations before you arrived (Glasgow Queen St, Kelvindale and Nitshill)

 

[Railsigns]

Okay, here's my effort:

09:09 Alexandra Parade - Barnhill 09:12
09:20 Barnhill - Charing Cross (Glasgow) 09:34
09:42 Charing Cross (Glasgow) - Dalmuir 09:59
10:06 Dalmuir - Easterhouse 10:42
10:53 Easterhouse - Fairlie 12:38 (via Glasgow Queen St & Central)
12:58 Fairlie - Glengarnock 13:26
13:51 Glengarnock - Howwood 14:00
14:36 Howwood - Irvine 15:03 (via Kilwinning)
15:32 Irvine - Johnstone 15:52
16:06 Johnstone - Kings Park 17:03 (Via Glasgow Central)
17:30 Kings Park - Langside 17:35
17:37 Langside - Mount Florida 17:43
17:48 Mount Florida - Neilston 18:07
19:00 Neilston - Oxenholme 22:04 (via Glasgow Central)
23:06 Oxenholme - Preston (Lancs) 23:45
04:01 Preston (Lancs) - Queens Park (London) 08:06 (via Manchester P & London E)
08:13 Queens Park (London) - Richmond (London) 08:50 (via Willesden Jcn.)
08:59 Richmond (London) - St Margarets (London) 09:01
09:31 St Margarets (London) - Teddington 09:40
09:45 Teddington - Upper Halliford 10:00
10:14 Upper Halliford - Vauxhall 10:59
11:07 Vauxhall - Wandsworth Town 11:16
11:40 Wandsworth Town - Yalding 13:18 (Via London Waterloo & Tonbridge)

I don't think I broke any rules or depended on having time machines at stations.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've knocked five hours off and got it down to under 24 hours...

09:04 Aston - Birmingham New Street 09:12
09:15 Birmingham New Street - Chester Road 09:28
09:36 Chester Road - Duddeston 09:53 (via Aston)
09:59 Duddeston - Erdington 10:08
10:16 Erdington - Four Oaks 10:27
10:28 Four Oaks - Gravelly Hill 10:40
11:10 Gravelly Hill - Hunts Cross 13:13 (via Birmingham NS & Liverpool SP)
13:20 Hunts Cross - Irlam 14:13 (via Liverpool SP)
14:33 Irlam - Jewellery Quarter 16:52 (via Liverpool SP & Smethwick GB)
16:59 Jewellery Quarter - Kidbrooke 20:08 (via Birm MS, Birm NS, London E, London Br)
20:15 Kidbrooke - Lewisham 20:22
20:24 Lewisham - Mottingham 20:34
20:37 Mottingham - New Cross 20:51
20:56 New Cross - Orpington 21:34 (via London Bridge)
21:40 Orpington - Petts Wood 21:43
21:59 Petts Wood - Queenstown Road 22:59 (via Orpington, London Waterloo East & London Waterloo)
23:10 Queenstown Road - Richmond (London) 23:28
23:33 Richmond (London) - St Margarets 23:45 (via Twickenham)
00:01 St Margarets - Teddington 00:10
00:30 Teddington - Upper Halliford 00:45
05:26 Upper Halliford - Vauxhall 06:11
06:19 Vauxhall - Wandsworth Town 06:28
06:32 Wandsworth Town - Yalding 08:18 (via London Waterloo, London Waterloo East & Paddock Wood)

 

[atomicdanny]

I didn't realised it but after dartford I managed to use the same stations as the first post! (although I think for J that's the only one in the south )

(I used a combination of Southeastern and TFL to search for the below)

0907 - Abbey Wood - Belvedere 0910 (direct)
0920 - Belvedere - Charlton 0925 (direct)
0937 - Charlton - Dartford 0954 (direct)
1001 - Darford - Erith 1008 (direct)
1033 - Erith - Falconwood 1107 (Via Dartford)
1114 - Falconwood - Gravesend 1155 (Via Dartford)
1207 - Gravesend - Higham 1213 (direct)
1240 - Higham - Ilford 13:56 (Via Gravesend, Stratford International and Stratford)
1419 - Ilford - Jewellery Quarter 16:55 (via London Liverpool Street, Euston, Birmingham New Street and Moor Street)
1705 - Jewellery Quarter - Kiderminster 1745 (Direct)
1800 - Kiderminster - Lye - 1829 (Direct)
1854 - Lye - Marston Green 2001 (via Smethwick Galton Bridge and Birmingham New St)
2041 - Marston Green - North Wembly 2243 (via Rugby, Milton Keynes and Watford Jn)
2245 - North Wembly (same platform!) - Old Street 2330 (via Harrow & Wealdstone & London Euston)
2343 - Old Street - Palmers Green 0023 (Via Kings Cross)
0119 - Palmers Green - Queenstown Road - 0601 (Via Enfield Chase, Finsbury Park and Euston)
0610 - Queenstown Road - Raynes Park - 0635 (via clapham junction)
0646 - Raynes Park - Strawberry Hill - 0708 (Direct)
0737 - Strawberry Hill - Teddington - 0740 (direct)
0745 - Teddington - Upper Halliford - 0800 (direct)
0803 - Upper Halliford - Vauxhall - 0844 (via Twickenham)
0847 - Vauxhall - Wandsworth Town - 0858 (direct)
0902 - Wandsworth Town - Yalding - 1118 (via Waterloo, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood)

(although I thought that this was interesting for the last one 11:38 to Yeovil Jn! and thats a bit further away) That was the best I could do , at least I tried though!

 

[Railsigns]

Having shown that it can be done in less than 24 hours, I wonder whether it could be done in a single day if the restriction of the 9 am start was removed. Using my latest route, I think you can get as far as "W" in one day, so we're almost there...

 

[imagination]

The trick there would be to find a line that has multiple trains running through the night with lots of stops at stations at the start of the alphabet...

 

[Railsigns]

Keeping to the original rules, and more than an hour shaved off the time:

09:04 Aston - Birmingham New Street 09:12
09:15 Birmingham New Street - Chester Road 09:28
09:36 Chester Road - Duddeston 09:53 (via Aston)
09:59 Duddeston - Erdington 10:08
10:16 Erdington - Four Oaks 10:27
10:28 Four Oaks - Gravelly Hill 10:40
11:10 Gravelly Hill - Hunts Cross 13:13 (via Birmingham NS & Liverpool SP)
13:20 Hunts Cross - Irlam 14:13 (via Liverpool SP)
14:33 Irlam - James Street (Liverpool) 15:42 (via Liverpool LS)
15:44 James Street (Liverpool) - Kirkdale 16:04 (via Moorfields)
16:07 Kirkdale - Liverpool Central 16:16
16:17 Liverpool Central - Moorfields 16:19
16:36 Moorfields - New Southgate 19:50 (via Liverpool LS, London E & London KX)
19:58 New Southgate - Old Street 20:16
20:39 Old Street - Putney 21:37 (via Highbury & Islington & Vauxhall)
21:37 Putney - Queenstown Road 21:46
21:52 Queenstown Road - Richmond (London) 22:11
22:18 Richmond (London) - St Margarets (London) 22:30 (via Twickenham)
22:31 St Margarets (London) - Teddington 22:40
22:45 Teddington - Upper Halliford 23:00
23:14 Upper Halliford - Vauxhall 00:04
00:46 Vauxhall - Wimbledon 01:04
04:32 Wimbledon - Yalding 07:02 (via London Waterloo, London Waterloo East & Paddock Wood)