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Simon Iwnicki helped to set up the event eight years ago. He says that the competition is a fantastic way to introduce young engineers to the world of railway engineering.
“Things like the Railway Challenge and Formula Student, as well as TV shows like Robot Wars and Scrapheap Challenge, are great mechanisms for getting across to young people just how interesting engineering is,” he says.
“All of the teams have a great time, they all work together and support and socialise with each other, and a good proportion of the members of those teams end up working in the railway industry after they have that initial taste of it.”
The judging and scrutineering teams include senior figures from the likes of London Underground and Transport Scotland, meaning that teams really benefit from learning from the experience of experts working in the railway industry day in, day out.
It also means that the judges really know what they are looking for in a winning team.
“There are always lots of different technical and reliability issues that the teams experience, and it is the teams that are best prepared for these difficulties that usually do well,” Simon says. “The good teams have a much more sophisticated approach to testing, so they don’t just solve the mechanical problems at the time that it fails.
“We do change the rules every year so that teams can’t just bring back the same locomotive year-after-year, and we ask them to do something different to keep the Challenge fresh. This year we have introduced the auto-stop challenge, and I am really excited to see how the teams deal with this new test.”
The Railway Challenge takes place from 27 June to 30 June 2019 at Stapleford Miniature Railway Park in Melton Mowbray. Spectators are welcome to join this fantastic event during the weekend on 29 June and 30 June. Further spectator information and ticket booking can be found online.