Loconundrum

[8ace]

I think I've had Kings Cross to Euston as a 10 minute walk. The way it handles cross London transfers messes my thinking up, as Tube journeys aren't indicated as such until after the puzzle is solved (or you've used up all your guesses) and for some transfers the tube isn't used at all. The first time it sent me up the ECML from Huddersfield it confused me, as it insists on doing the Wakefield shuffle instead of just changing at Leeds.

I've avoided London starters because of how confusing the routings can be if the target station is accessed via another London terminal... but maybe it is worth a try!

Living where I do means that I have to go via London to get anyway not local so I'm familiar with the routes/times from the big smoke's many termini.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Living where I do means that I have to go via London to get anyway not local so I'm familiar with the routes/times from the big smoke's many termini.

It's the newer routes that throw a spanner in the works for me- I might get routed via Crossrail, but I have to keep reminding myself that it exists... I haven't even got used to Thameslink or HS2, so a routing to a station in East Anglia will throw me off if it wants me to change at Kings Cross/St Pancras and Stratford International, and then walk through Westfield to Stratford!
Without giving any spoilers today's puzzle threw me a curveball too, one of my guesses was a station in a town with two stations- I'm pretty sure you can get a train to the target station from either in reality, but the game still insisted I walk to the other one!

 

[8ace]

It's the newer routes that throw a spanner in the works for me- I might get routed via Crossrail, but I have to keep reminding myself that it exists... I haven't even got used to Thameslink or HS2, so a routing to a station in East Anglia will throw me off if it wants me to change at Kings Cross/St Pancras and Stratford International, and then walk through Westfield to Stratford!
Without giving any spoilers today's puzzle threw me a curveball too, one of my guesses was a station in a town with two stations- I'm pretty sure you can get a train to the target station from either in reality, but the game still insisted I walk to the other one!

Ah yes that 2 min walk, that cropped fairly recently so luckily I remembered. The one that nearly threw me the other day was Hereford - it chose to route via Newport from PAD!

 

[enginedin]

Spoiler

Today's put a certain song in my head

 

[8ace]

Spoiler

Today's put a certain song in my head

Yeah I got it was some connection from LDS after my usual STP first guess, guessed Shipley and Saltey before getting the most Yorkshire place of all

 

[Royston Vasey]

Yesterday my new starting station paid off again...

1. ELY
2. BLY!

Today... I got cloae geographically quite quickly but I don't know that area anywhere near well enough, and it's a lot more obscure than we're used to! 7.

 

[enginedin]

I seem to do better when I'm sleep-deprived

 

[gazthomas]

I was quite surprised to see Rotterdam come up in the list of railway stations today!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I was quite surprised to see Rotterdam come up in the list of railway stations today!

Without giving any spoilers, I was not happy with the way it routed me from some guesses today. If there's a direct train it should use it, even if it takes a little longer.

 

[8ace]

Without giving any spoilers, I was not happy with the way it routed me from some guesses today. If there's a direct train it should use it, even if it takes a little longer.

Likewise, got today's in five turns in the end - Hereford specifically annoyed me the other week routing via NWP when there's little difference from the direct service (not overly familiar with that area TBF)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Likewise, got today's in five turns in the end - Hereford specifically annoyed me the other week routing via NWP when there's little difference from the direct service (not overly familiar with that area TBF)

Some of the quirks are no problem once you've encountered them, as long as you remember it the next time it comes up again- for example it insists on doing the Wakefield shuffle if you start at Huddersfield and need to head south towards London or Birmingham, despite Leeds being an easier interchange if you're an actual passenger!

 

[Dave W]

Down in 3 today here. I always start at Euston so half the fun is working out where to go across London. Weirdly it's only the last couple where I've paid any attention to the CRS letter indicators at all! Great game.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Had another annoying one yesterday, as I started at Huddersfield but it had me changing at York for Northallerton... but it keeps me on my toes by throwing the odd curveball!

 

[cornishjohn]

The routing+timing algorithm definitely has some quirks.

One of my favourite "starts" is sometimes 50 min to the first junction, and sometimes 1 hour to the same place!

Today, using Swindon as my start I initially get a route that involves a walk. On a second browser, using a different start, a subsequent guess of Swindon gives a very different route that doesn't include the walk at all!

I have also seen a link that is 15(ish) min in one direction but 40(ish) min in the opposite direction.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Based on yesterday's puzzle, I can only assume there was a blockade on the Cross City line on the day the data was sourced- as it insisted on walking 15 minutes from Birmingham New Street to Five Ways which was the target station...

I know New Street is grim, but not compared to walking for 15 minutes in Birmingham!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2026 ==

The routing+timing algorithm definitely has some quirks.

One of my favourite "starts" is sometimes 50 min to the first junction, and sometimes 1 hour to the same place!

Today, using Swindon as my start I initially get a route that involves a walk. On a second browser, using a different start, a subsequent guess of Swindon gives a very different route that doesn't include the walk at all!

I have also seen a link that is 15(ish) min in one direction but 40(ish) min in the opposite direction.

I suspect it puts you on the optimal service for meeting the next connection at whichever interchange:- thus you're sometimes put on a slow service from your starting station to the interchange point, because that offers a shorter interchange time for the next leg of the hypothetical journey. That's just me trying to reason why we see these anomalies though.

 

[8ace]

Based on yesterday's puzzle, I can only assume there was a blockade on the Cross City line on the day the data was sourced- as it insisted on walking 15 minutes from Birmingham New Street to Five Ways which was the target station...

I know New Street is grim, but not compared to walking for 15 minutes in Birmingham!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2026 ==


I suspect it puts you on the optimal service for meeting the next connection at whichever interchange:- thus you're sometimes put on a slow service from your starting station to the interchange point, because that offers a shorter interchange time for the next leg of the hypothetical journey. That's just me trying to reason why we see these anomalies though.

It does like trying to make you walk, from St Pancras to Waterloo it says train to to Blackfriars then 15 minutes walk, Marylebone to St Pancras 30 minutes walk!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It does like trying to make you walk, from St Pancras to Waterloo it says train to to Blackfriars then 15 minutes walk, Marylebone to St Pancras 30 minutes walk!

That's odd, as for Kings Cross to Waterloo it uses the tube via Oxford Street!

 

[cornishjohn]

It does like trying to make you walk,

Seems just as likely from Hornsey to start with "->Finsbury Park->St Pancras->Walk to Kings cross" as to start with "->Finsbury Park->Kings Cross"

 

[gazthomas]

I wonder if there is a bug highlighted in today's quiz? Three character code had the same letter for two of the thee characters. I had correctly guessed the letter but it only populated one of the two.

I just did archive day 41 too, same issue.

 

[cornishjohn]

I wonder if there is a bug highlighted in today's quiz? Three character code had the same letter for two of the thee characters. I had correctly guessed the letter but it only populated one of the two.

I just did archive day 41 too, same issue.

I think the code is working, but it is a "feature" of the reasoning that it doesn't handle double letters. It would need another colour for "right place but also needed again". I'm getting the correct result for a one right place + one wrong place candidate.
Castle Cary
My day 41 isn't double lettered so i'm not sure what you are suggesting?

 

[gazthomas]

I think the code is working, but it is a "feature" of the reasoning that it doesn't handle double letters. It would need another colour for "right place but also needed again". I'm getting the correct result for a one right place + one wrong place candidate.
Castle Cary
My day 41 isn't double lettered so i'm not sure what you are suggesting?

Sorry day 42!

 

[cornishjohn]

Sorry day 42!

makes sense to me. Unless you want two yellows for Uddingston but I'm not sure how that really helps - it indicates well enough that the last letter is not a "D".

 

[ainsworth74]

Is this not similar behaviour to the New York Times Wordle (where this takes its inspiration from)? Double letters there are somewhat concealed unless you guess a word which also has the same two letters in it?

 

[Royston Vasey]

Yes. The logic is working as it should.

If you had guessed DEE and the answer was EDE (not a real station) it would show yellow yellow green.

If you had guessed DEE and the answer was EDB, it would show yellow yellow blank. If it showed yellow yellow yellow, it would suggest that all three letters were correct but not in the correct place, which wouldn't be correct.

I think the code is working, but it is a "feature" of the reasoning that it doesn't handle double letters. It would need another colour for "right place but also needed again".

The "but also needed again" bit is for you to deduce

 

[gazthomas]

Thanks everyone for the explanation

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I wonder if there is a bug highlighted in today's quiz? Three character code had the same letter for two of the thee characters. I had correctly guessed the letter but it only populated one of the two.

I just did archive day 41 too, same issue.

How do you get to do archived days? Is there a link?

 

[gazthomas]

How do you get to do archived days? Is there a link?

If you go to the "burger" menu (three bars, top right) one of the inks says "Archive". I think you're also reminded of the archive when you've completed the current day's challenge

 

[Bishops]

Is it good i got it in 3 tries? Can i use a screen shot or not?


Loconundrum #143
⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜

 

[Henffordd]

Puzzled that, if my guess involves a journey between Birmingham New Street and Leicester, Loconundrum only does this via Derby (30 minutes plus 20 minutes), when there are direct trains very half hour, half or* which take the same time.

*of*

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If you go to the "burger" menu (three bars, top right) one of the inks says "Archive". I think you're also reminded of the archive when you've completed the current day's challenge

Thanks- there goes my evening!

Having done a few of the early rounds, I'm a bit baffled by a 50 minute journey time for Peterborough to Stevenage!