Euston-Watford Junction clarification

It’s straightforward.some trains stop at all stations and therefore take a long time. Some make a couple of stops and some do stop stall. It’s the latter ones you want.

It's a very reasonable question.
The 48 minute journey trains are the London Overground trains- which stop at every station on the way to Watford (feels like every lamp post!!). Those are the ones which will be on the destination screens as 'Watford Junction'.
The others have fewer stops- the 14 minute trains are non stop to Watford. They are run by London North Western and will have a destination beyond Watford- like Crewe, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Northampton and various others.
There are multiple tracks- so the all stations have their own 'slow lines' and there is an adjacent 'fast line' next to it for the limited or no stop trains. So trains can pass each other.
There are lots of staff around at Euston, so if confused just ask.
I've not been to Euston since new departure screens were installed (that is due in a few weeks time) but there should be a board now which tells you the next train to each destination. As I say just ask staff, but avoid the all stations ones, unless you want to see every station platform!!
You can either use Oyster or 2 Together railcards, not in tandem with each other.
You are better off paying with the 2T as the fare for the 4 of you, with 2T is £36.40 return, on Oyster it would be 8 x £6.60 = £52.80.
Or that's my interpretation, I hope Nigel will correct me if I have got my math wrong.

Thank you so much! I see now that I was not separating "no changes" from "no stops."

You can either use Oyster or 2 Together railcards, not in tandem with each other.
You are better off paying with the 2T as the fare for the 4 of you, with 2T is £36.40 return, on Oyster it would be 8 x £6.60 = £52.80.

One more novice question on this. Does the return require that we choose the return time ahead of time? We don't know how long we will be in the studio, but are big HP fans so we don't want to feel pressured to leave at a certain time. Hoping we can just catch the next return train when we are ready.

Get the train that you want.

Get the train that you want.

That doesn't answer my question. If I purchase the option of the 36.40 return, do I have to set the return time when I purchase, or do I show up with my return ticket to board whenever I want?

No, all trains on the Watford route are turn up and go. Just catch the first train that turns up when you arrive back at Watford Junction.
Outward as well just catch the first available train.

That doesn't answer my question.

Well I am profoundly sorry.

To put it in simpler terms, you can get any train you want.

No, all trains on the Watford route are turn up and go. Just catch the first train that turns up when you arrive back at Watford Junction.
Outward as well just catch the first available train.

Thank you. That's what I was needing to know since there is always talk on the forum regarding Advance vs purchase at time of travel.

actually not quite any train you want, depending on the time of travel.

There are actually different fares at play here. Not Advance if you want to take any train that matches the time you get out, and I agree that that would be difficult to predict.

Then there are Off Peak Returns. I'm on holiday so haven't worked out which ticket type goes with with which fare quoted above. But if you take any valid train (Avanti not valid) (Overground - what we used to call Third Rail because it is and shares the Bakerloo tube line for part of the journey - a real time waster so not worth choosing), after the morning rush (the Two Together is restricted until after 9:30 anyway and overrides the 9:15 a northbound Off Peak is valid) and return any time that day. The rules are clearly spelled out on the London Northwestern website https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/tickets-discounts/ticket-types/off-peak-train-tickets

And then there's Anytime tickets. Most expensive, valid on any valid train (see above) all day both ways.

Long story short - London Northwestern only for you. The nonstop to Watford platform 6 is fastest and most convenient, if your tour is after the morning peak use Off Peak Returns with the Two Together; if you are on an early tour pay full whack and Anytimes with TT.

clear as mud?

Nigel, you are simply the best. Thank you! Off peak it is!

one last thing about Watford Junction, when you arrive, for the buses go out the main exit and turn left. The buses are clearly marked on the front.

and when you return, Watford Junction has 11 platforms. Don't let that faze you. Disregard any on 1 to 4, those are the snails.

If there is one coming soon on platform 7, take that - it will be the fast nonstop. If it will be a little while take anything on platform 9 (except a SOUTHERN train which will take you to Shepherds Bush and Clapham Junction) . It will make 1 to 3 intermediate stops but still faster than waiting a long time for the fast train on 7.

Just to confirm that at Euston the new departure boards also have a screen which gives the next train to any destination from the station, and another one which shows the next train to Watford Junction with it's stops. So it should easy to find the train you want. I was there on Tuesday and had a mental note to check on that.

There are a lot of words here for what is a very simple answer - Euston to Watford Junction using the service by West Midlands.

Do not touch the Overground

And there's been mention of Watford - very different station to Watford Junction and you don't want to go near it - it's an Underground station that drops you in a housing estate 25 minutes walk from the HP shuttle bus

Whether 2 Together discount or capping is best will depend on your whole day's travel

The service is run by London North Western, not West Midlands. They are part of the same company but as their name suggests West Midlands Trains runs in the Birmingham area.
And I don't see that anyone mentioned Watford (Metropolitan Line) station- that has added unnecessary confusion and is irrelevant.

actually it IS operated by West Midlands.

A little class in history and names might be helpful.

Previously to Abellio taking over the London Midland franchise in 2017, London Midland was run as one operation. There was a heritage split between the London commuter traffic worked by what was called Silverlink (and Silverlink Metro) and Central Trains which had the rest of the network before London Midland took over in 2007. London Midland (for which, and its predecessors I proudly worked for many years) tried to bring the two parts together and largely succeeded.

Staff from ex-Silverlink depots (Watford, Bletchley and Northampton), and staff from ex-Central Trains depots (Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Wolverhampton, Leamington Spa, Stourbridge Junction, Worcester, and the two new depots of Crewe (working all the way to Liverpool and with early hopes of Preston) and Coventry) worked together and routes overlapped, particularly the through service between London Euston and Birmingham New Street via Northampton. Depots in the different regions always overlapped.

When Abellio (initially NS, the Dutch railway and several Japanese railways, now different) took over it was in a political climate where there were expectations that the Birmingham part of the business would be hived off to local government, much as TfL had taken over most of London transportation. So they divided the business into two sections, basically long distance, from Euston to Crewe, and everything else.

They started by calling the whole business West Midlands Trains Ltd, the London, Greater London, Crewe and Liverpool services were called London Northwestern Railway, and the remainder called West Midlands Railway.

Note that the holding company is West Midlands Trains and the Birmingham area services operating company is West Midlands Railway. Confusing, eh?

Whether for laziness or simplification the people running the station displays and National Rail Enquiries have drifted to lumping them together under West Midlands, the holding company. As far as I know that is unique - usually they use the trade name. You don't see Lumo listed as First or even First Lumo. Or Virgin Trains was never called Stagecoach Virgin. But the screens say West Midlands even though the trains are painted either West Midlands or London Northwestern based on their expected routes and maintenance depots (not even going to talk about those - Bletchley TMD RIP) and a train painted one or the other may have either company's employees working it, sometimes both.

So, long story short, out of Euston the crews think of themselves as London Northwestern, the advertising all says London Northwestern, the trains say London Northwestern, the PA announcements all say London Northwestern, and some of the screens and National Rail Enquiries say West Midlands.

hmmph....

So both are right.

Watford (Metropolitan Line) was mentioned but has now gone

...and they wonder why I'm confused...Haha!

If we're talking history, in the days before privatisation what is now London North Western Railway, but was then part of Network South East, ran a regular Friday relief service from Euston beyond Crewe onwards to Preston. If I was running late out of work (as I often was) and had missed my booked train I often took that to Preston, changing back into the last Inter City service north there.
It was better than joining what were then very busy Friday IC services without a reservation, and far more fun.
On at least two memorable occasions the same train then formed a Sunday afternoon timetabled relief service from Glasgow to Euston. It was quite something to travel the 299 miles from Carlisle on an outer suburban Network South East liveried EMU.
My other trick in those days was to go from Kings Cross to Leeds, then over the Settle/Carlisle line as I could get a full 3 course silver served on board chef cooked meal on the KX to Leeds sector, even travelling second class- which took most of the journey time to Leeds.
Quite impossible now, even first class it's only 2 courses, and silver service is a thing of the past on any scheduled UK train. It's not chef prepared now, but airline style food.
Those were also the days when if I was going on business from London to Manchester, it was actually cheaper to take the sleeper the previous night to Glasgow, then the first day train back to Manchester, rather than the first very expensive day train from Euston (which was an 0415 start from my digs in Southend)- my company accountant didn't like it at all but accepted it was best value for the Company, and that I didn't like such a red eye morning train.