Institution news
To register your team, simply complete the registration form on the Railway Challenge website, download the competition documents and gather your team to start designing your miniature railway locomotive!
Led by an enthusiastic organising committee of senior engineers working in the railway industry and supported by a dedicated team at the IMechE, this annual engineering competition tasks teams to design and manufacture a miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a strict set of rules and a detailed technical specification.
Participants use their engineering knowledge on a project where they design and manufacture a locomotive, develop their business acumen when they share their work in the presentation challenges (business case, technical poster, innovation, design) and their practical skills are also put to the test when they run their locomotive in the series of track-based events (auto-stop, ride comfort, energy storage, traction, noise, reliability, maintainability, refuelling).
We are also offering an ‘Entry Level’ option for the Railway Challenge. This is only open for teams from institutions which have not previously participated in the competition and the intention is that this provides teams with a stepping stone towards a full entry in a future year, where it may seem too daunting to both design and construct a locomotive within a single year.
Teams taking the Entry Level option are not required to manufacture a locomotive being only required to submit a design of their proposed loco. The design must follow all rules of the main competition, but Entry Level teams must also submit a CAD model to demonstrate the overall structure of their locomotive and a more detailed design of one chosen sub-system. Entry Level teams are still expected to compete in all the other presentation challenges.
The designs will be assessed by the judges and a trophy will be awarded to the best Entry Level challenge team at the final ceremony of the Railway Challenge weekend which is taking place on 27-30 June 2024 at Stapleford Miniature Railway (29-30 June open to spectators).
For any further details on the competition, please visit the Railway Challenge website or email the team directly with your questions and on behalf of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the organising committee, we look forward to welcoming all teams for the start of the 2024 Railway Challenge.