Registration opens for miniature locomotive competition

Teams of undergraduate students, industry apprentices and young professionals from the UK and overseas are invited to take part in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Railway Challenge at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire.

The teams’ locomotives will be tested at the competition weekend in the summer of 2019, in a series of track based and presentation challenges. These challenges include a design report and business presentation, as well as track-based challenges on the locomotive’s traction, ride comfort, noise, maintainability and ability to store energy.

2019 will see the introduction of a new track-based challenge: the auto–stop function, where participating teams will have to design their train to stop as close as possible to a marked point on the track. Teams will also be required to design a technical poster to encourage participants to communicate effectively how the principal systems of their locomotive work.

As part of the Institution’s commitment to inspire the next generation of engineers, the Railway Challenge will host a STEM Day at the competition. Local schools will be invited to take part in STEM related activities run by a dedicated group of STEM Ambassadors.

The Railway Challenge is supported by RSSB, Network Rail, Young Rail Professionals, Angel Trains, Porterbrook Leasing, Eversholt Rail and Beacon Rail.

For more information about participating, please visit the Railway Challenge pages.

Notes to Editors

• Contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 020 7973 1261 or email media@imeche.org
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries. www.imeche.org