Ottowaga Model Locomotive Efficiency Test Trial Event

[Joseph RamonParticipant @josephramon28170]

Many British model engineers may be unaware that
the successful IMLEC events held in the UK have their parallels in other
parts of the world. One of the longest standing model steam locomotive events,
founded in 1988, is OMLETTE, held in the state of West
Victoria and in August 2006 the Ottawanga Rumblers MEC once again
ran a successful Ottawanga Model Locomotive Efficiency Test Trial Event. Aside
from a break between 1991 and 1997 the
event has run annually and attracting competitors from as far away as Alice Springslace and Koala Lumper. The unfortunate break
resulted from a little reported feud among Antipodean model engineering club
associations. Referred to in hushed tones as the “The Battle of the
Boilers” in fact it arose over a dispute
about the legitimacy of Briggs Boilers and pulse-jets for competition purposes.

But these sad disputes are long behind us, and the event was in no way marred by the
unfortunate destruction of Jim O’Donnel’s 0-6-0 Billabong Switcher,
“Thangumma Rocket”, as it was impossible to prove who had left the
points switched to an unbuffered siding.

The Ottawanga track is ground-level six-gauge track,
although with only one exception all twelve entrants were using 5″ or
7″ gauges. The honourable exception was Bruce Hornby’s Garden Gauge 6-12-4
‘PolyPod’, which achieved a remarkable efficiency of 55%. Sadly he was
disqualified following spectroscopic analysis of the boiler water which
revealed the presence of hydrogen peroxide.

In sweltering heat the competition was good humoured and
remarkably free of the violence and track invasions that often characterise the
competition. The local competitors did well being used to the rather tar-rich
brown coal. Our one oversees competitor, pommey Brian Snivell of the Purley
MES, did struggle a little with lighting the fuel. He was eagerly assisted by
Rumblers members, but unfortunately the blowtorch they loaned him resulted in
the partial destruction of his firebox and he had to retire from the event.

As usual the consumption of coal and water by the
locomotives was exceeded solely by the entrants (and observers) consumption of
the Amber Nectar. This does create a few problems with making accurate
determinations of drawbar pull, particularly in the event of an unscheduled rest-stop
at the bottom of the Hooballa Incline. Fortunately this year problems have been
reduced through the thoughtful loan of the Sydney Spannerbenders dual
5″/7″ Gauge ‘comfort car’.

There was small delay at the end of the day, when the laptop
computer the Judges were using to calculate the results crashed with a virus
from a disk supplied by one of the competitors. In the end, the computer was
resurrected and the competition was won by Geoff Hardknott and his 5″
Swiss rack-and-pinion loco, with an efficiency of 123%.

One final bit of excitement on the day was the winner’s lap
of honour, when the club train’s vacuum brakes failed completely at about 25
mph. An entertaining disaster was averted by the application of several pairs
of shoes directly to the rails. All of which goes to show, of course, that you
can’t make an OMLETTE without braking legs.

Bill O’Daroy

Secretary

Ottawanga Rumblers MEC

Edited By Joseph Ramon on 09/08/2011 15:27:38

[Joseph RamonParticipant @josephramon28170]

Report from an exciting event in West Victoria, AU.

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