Does anyone know if there is an oyster reader hidden somewhere at
platform 7 or on the main concourse at Euston?

Yesterday I was on a later train than usual (08:20 something I think)
and it arrived at platform 7.

But I couldn't see an oyster reader anywhere. In the end I had to go
down to the 8-11 platforms and "touch out" on the gate there. To add
insult to injury, that detour (which wasn't that easy to do as I was
going against the flow when I was going down to the gateline) cost me
an extra 50p. It was so tempting just not to bother.

Although I wasn't continuing on to the underground, had I just touched
in on the underground without touching out from the overground would
that still have counted as a continuation of my journey?

Interestingly, I've now had my oyster card "inspected" twice on London
Midland. The inspection consisted of me holding up my oystercard
wallet and saying "oystercard". The guard didn't even want to see if
there was an oystercard in my wallet, let alone have any equipment to
read it.

It seems like there's a lot of scope for fare evasion on the London
Midland line into Euston, especially for people travelling from
ungated stations north of Watford. If there is a ticket inspection
before Watford then you just buy a ticket. If it's after Watford then
you wave your oyster card. You can then use the oyster card to get out
of the gates at Euston for a 5GBP unresolved journey or if you're on
one of the trains that doesn't arrive at platforms 8 to 11, not pay
anything at all.

I wonder if from the new year, the unresolved journey fare will go up
to 6GBP for this line - the same as Watford Junction to Z1 price.

Tim.