All aboard for a student rail team first!
Monash Railway Express (MREx) recently made history as Australia’s first ever student rail team to compete in the annual IMechE Railway Challenge, UK.
Held at Stapleford Estate on the Friends of Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire, the track is 10.25-inch gauge meaning the trains are one fifth scale size of a real locomotive.
Competing in the Entry Level Challenge, MREx delivered an inspired debut performance placing second overall (only five points behind first place).
Final Standings – Entry Level Challenge
- 1st – ESTACA (France): 423 points
- 2nd – Monash University (Australia): 418 points
- 3rd – University of Cambridge (UK): 372 points
- 4th – Anglia Ruskin University (UK): 348 points
Challenge Results
- Technical Poster – 1st place
- Innovation Challenge – 2nd place
- CAD Challenge – 2nd place
The team’s design, named Wallaby, is a battery-electric locomotive inspired by Melbourne’s iconic W-class tram. Designed for zero emissions and operable by a ride-on driver, Wallaby showcases the team’s commitment to sustainable engineering and practical innovation.
MREx is now preparing to manufacture its first full-scale locomotive, with the W-class tram inspiration likely to remain central to the final design.
A huge achievement, this is an exciting signal of what’s to come.
Read more about MREx here.
Learn more about the IMechE Railway Challenge here.
