Loconundrum

[Farigiraf]

I'm a bit baffled by a 50 minute journey time for Peterborough to Stevenage!

There are very few (if any) LNER services between the two, so the only option it finds is Thameslink/GN which does take around 50 minutes.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There are very few (if any) LNER services between the two, so the only option it finds is Thameslink/GN which does take around 50 minutes.

Even so, 50 minutes seems painfully slow for that journey... though if that's how long it takes in reality then it isn't a flaw with Loconundrum!

 

[Farigiraf]

Even so, 50 minutes seems painfully slow for that journey... though if that's how long it takes in reality then it isn't a flaw with Loconundrum!

It's a longer distance in reality than it seems on a rail map. Around 50 miles, similar to Birmingham-Nottingham. For comparison, driving it takes 1h 10.
The lack of many semi-fast trains on the ECML, particularly along the southern/central section, does make the distances seem shorter than they are. Only 5 stops from PBO to DON, yet it's over 100 miles.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

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*

That's a very annoying gap in the game's routing, even more so than ignoring the Penistone line which is painfully slow. At least it does know the line exists, it's just that the only way to include it is to start at one of the intermediate stations.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2026 ==

It's a longer distance in reality than it seems on a rail map. Around 50 miles, similar to Birmingham-Nottingham. For comparison, driving it takes 1h 10.
The lack of many semi-fast trains on the ECML, particularly along the southern/central section, does make the distances seem shorter than they are. Only 5 stops from PBO to DON, yet it's over 100 miles.

I haven't made that journey myself, but I've done St Neots to Kings Cross on a train that originated in Peterborough, and I don't recall it taking anything like that long to get to Stevenage. This was pre-Thameslink though.

 

[Farigiraf]

I haven't made that journey myself, but I've done St Neots to Kings Cross on a train that originated in Peterborough, and I don't recall it taking anything like that long to get to Stevenage. This was pre-Thameslink though.

St Neots is already around halfway to Stevenage from the Peterborough direction. The large gap between Huntingdon and Peterborough with no stations is almost 20 mins by itself on GTR, and of course that's not shown on rail maps. Might be helped out by a station at Alconbury but that's a long way from happening. Certainly the Great Northern trains to KGX are somewhat faster (as they skip Sandy and Arlesey) but I wouldn't think that the stopping service has gotten any slower since 700s started working the route.

 

[gazthomas]

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!

There are a few anomalies based on the starting date and time and what was running at the time. But I'd say 50 minutes is a right for a stopper.

 

[cornishjohn]

At least it does know the line exists, it's just that the only way to include it is to start at one of the intermediate stations.

Not sure if you were referring to Birmingham/Leiceter here or not. But it can get it right (although not believing in the half hour for the link) e.g.

(Google Chrome)

But I also find
(Google Chrome)

and

(MS Edge)

I have noticed before that routing choices are sometimes dependent on initial guess.

--

There are a few anomalies based on the starting date and time and what was running at the time. But I'd say 50 minutes is a right for a stopper.

Yes. Between 8:20 and 11:30 this morning I am being offered 1 journey @ 29 minutes and 7 journeys @ 52/53 min.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

St Neots is already around halfway to Stevenage from the Peterborough direction. The large gap between Huntingdon and Peterborough with no stations is almost 20 mins by itself on GTR, and of course that's not shown on rail maps. Might be helped out by a station at Alconbury but that's a long way from happening. Certainly the Great Northern trains to KGX are somewhat faster (as they skip Sandy and Arlesey) but I wouldn't think that the stopping service has gotten any slower since 700s started working the route.

Yeah, I think I was maybe suffering from "rail brain" (or "diagrammatic map brain") there!

Was going through the archive again on my lunch break earlier, and finally got it to acknowledge the Penistone line... But only as part of a longer journey- for Sheffield or Meadowhall it insists on sending me via Wakefield Kirkgate, but for Loughborough it sends me direct to Sheffield!

 

[170399]

@enginedin Thank you for sharing this with us, this game is quite the brainteaser.

I got my guess today (9th Aug) in 5 guesses, won't give away the answer in case anyone else is trying to figure it out still but I went completely in the opposite direction to the correct station.

 

[gazthomas]

@enginedin Thank you for sharing this with us, this game is quite the brainteaser.

I got my guess today (9th Aug) in 5 guesses, won't give away the answer in case anyone else is trying to figure it out still but I went completely in the opposite direction to the correct station.

Today was quite the challenge

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Today was quite the challenge

I got a bit lucky and made it in 3 guesses. Initially went the wrong direction from my cross-London transfer, but my next guess happened to be the target station. It helped that my second guess gave an additional clue.

 

[Henffordd]

Enjoying the game. However, didn't understand yesterday, why it offered a 15 minute walk between two neighbouring stations with four trains an hour doing the trip.

 

[Trainguy34]

Enjoying the game. However, didn't understand yesterday, why it offered a 15 minute walk between two neighbouring stations with four trains an hour doing the trip.

It goes off whatever route would get you there the earliest departing at 10:30am I think. If you'd just missed a train then walking could be quicker

 

[Tetragon213]

First time out, learning the hard way that a lot of stations have codes which you wouldn't expect

But a very fun game nonetheless

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A very odd routing the other day, had me travelling past the target station and doubling back... and as there was a direct service between my starting station and the target, I'm pretty sure the route suggested is not a permitted one!

 

[D1537]

A very odd routing the other day, had me travelling past the target station and doubling back... and as there was a direct service between my starting station and the target, I'm pretty sure the route suggested is not a permitted one!

I've only got three wrong so far and one of them was where a similar routing was given. From station X that I'd guessed, it was giving 50 minutes to Y and then 20 minutes to the target Z. However this turned out to be 50 minutes north and then 20 minutes south, mostly on the same line. Z was actually 55 minutes from X by direct train, but there is only a direct train every 2 hours.

I only had 2 guesses left, went off on a completely different tangent and failed. I'm not sure whether X-Y-Z is a valid routing, although the forum's engine does suggest it at some times of the day (usually when you've just missed a direct train).

Spoiler: X Y and Z

X = Grantham Y = York Z = Selby

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I've only got three wrong so far and one of them was where a similar routing was given. From station X that I'd guessed, it was giving 50 minutes to Y and then 20 minutes to the target Z. However this turned out to be 50 minutes north and then 20 minutes south, mostly on the same line. Z was actually 55 minutes from X by direct train, but there is only a direct train every 2 hours.

I only had 2 guesses left, went off on a completely different tangent and failed. I'm not sure whether X-Y-Z is a valid routing, although the forum's engine does suggest it at some times of the day (usually when you've just missed a direct train).

Spoiler: X Y and Z

X = Grantham Y = York Z = Selby

Spoiler: Day #149

In this case, the target station was Chapeltown (South Yorkshire). I always start in Huddersfield (because sooner or later it'll surely come up) which has an hourly direct service via Penistone and Barnsley. Previously both Barnsley and Meadowhall have been routed via Wakefield Kirkgate (though Loughborough took the direct service to Sheffield). Chapeltown was routed with changes at WKK and Meadowhall, presumably using one of the semi-fast services which skip Chapeltown, then doubling back from Meadowhall. Perhaps there's an easement allowing the double-back, but it strikes me as unnecessary.

 

[D1537]

Yep, same problem. Incidentally I'm amazed your starting point hasn't been used yet, especially as the author spent most of July cruising round quite minor northern stations!