Institution news
What is the Railway Challenge and how does it benefit participants?
Working together in a team, participants gain real-life experience of the entire design and manufacturing cycle of a miniature locomotive, supported by academic and industry experts who volunteer as officials of the Challenge.
Teams are to assume that they work for a design consultancy which is briefed to produce a design proposal and a prototype for a small locomotive of a large corporation. Teams will need to design and manufacture the prototype of this locomotive and then test it against other teams.
The Railway Challenge develops business and technical skills in the participants that industries would like to see in potential recruits. The Challenge helps bridge the gap between industry and academia by providing participants with the opportunity to practice key soft skills such as team-working, time management, project management, budgeting and presentation skills, becoming better equipped for a lasting career in engineering.
“The Railway Challenge is a unique opportunity to add a capstone element to our Rail Vehicle Engineering undergraduate course. The locomotive scale and the challenge time axis allows to have a rail vehicle project from beginning to end in less than a year while allowing for experimentation and creativity that is difficult to apply to full scale projects. The ups and downs over the project duration as well as the teamwork required help the team members to foster, gives them something to be proud of and turns students into experts in their field. We have seen impressive personal growth in the three years of our participation and hope to see more!”
Dr. Raphael Pfaff, FH Aachen University of Applied Science Academic Lead
In 2019, we saw the launch of a Railway Challenge STEM programme where local school children were invited to attend the event. This initiative is aimed at encouraging young people to consider engineering as a career.
As part of the STEM initiative, school children had the opportunity to meet competing teams and engage in STEM related activities conducted by IMechE STEM Ambassadors. In 2020 you will see a greater engagement with local schools in running STEM related activities.
Growing the Challenge
The Railway Challenge continues to attract interest from past participants to engage with the competition either as part of the volunteering committee or as a sponsor.
“As a previous participant in the IMechE Railway Challenge, I cannot overstate how beneficial my participation in the challenge has been for my career, where it has enabled me to impress colleagues and clients with my technical and non-technical capabilities in a real-life engineering project.
It is for that reason that I am keep to support competition, both from a Young Rail Professionals perspective and that as a Young Member of the Institution and its Railway Division.”
David Westcough, Professional Networking & Development Manager at Young Rail Professional and a past-participant
For the first time, Railway Challenge will be hosting a Welcome Seminar in November where teams, volunteers, sponsors and organisers will meet to discuss the project lifecycle, project deliverables and what targets you need to hit to win the Grand Champion title.
How can I get involved in this year’s Challenge?
The Railway Challenge takes place at the Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire from 25 June to 28 June 2020. The competition will launch at the end of August 2019 with team registration opening on 16 September.
Sponsoring the Challenge
Without the backing and valued support of Industry partners such as Network Rail, Beacon Rail, Young Rail Professionals and Angel Trains, the Challenge in 2019 would not have been a possibility. Once again there is opportunity for industry to support the 2020 Challenge. To find out how you can support the next generation of young rail engineers within a fantastic framework and build engagement with schools through to young professionals, contact the project team at railwaychallenge@imeche.org