IME Railway Challenge

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is organising a railway challenge. The aim of the challenge is for teams, formed of university students or apprentices in the rail industry, to design, build, and operate a 1:5 scale railway locomotive running on 10¼” gauge track. The locomotive must meet certain criteria, and will compete against other designs in a series of challenges, including traction performance, ride comfort, and reuse of recovered energy from braking.

The university’s Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education is participating in the railway challenge with a multi disciplinary team from Mechanical Engineering; Chemical Engineering; and Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering. The design will incorporate a hybrid traction systems powered by a novel fuel. The competition will take place at the Stapleford Miniature Railway at the end of June.