Yesterday’s iRail 2011 in Derby was a huge success.

The event at The Roundhouse, a former rail works shed rebuilt into a stunning educational complex, was a great showcase of the some of the cutting-edge technology throughout the world of rail and a testament to what can be achieved when different parts of the industry come together.

It also succeeded in its aim of enthusing youngsters about engineering, design, and rail in general, with many of them leaving The Roundhouse complex buzzing with excitement and considering a career that otherwise would never have crossed their mind.

More than 500 school children had direct exposure to the engineering side of the industry for the first time in their lives, far more than last year’s inaugural event, while professionals and rail veterans also had a chance to network and dream up their own solutions to the engineering challenges set for the youngsters.

Much kudos to those who helped get it off the ground and make it a success – including chairman Dave Saunders, Transport iNet’s John Frodsham, NSARE’s Gil Howarth, chairman of judges Pete Waterman, the Young Railway Professionals’ Rob Mullen, and distinguished lecturer Tim Dugher of Angel Trains. It had support from all sorts of organisations, including the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum and the city’s Railway Engineering Society, as well as the East Midlands Development Agency, The Smallpeice Trust and others.

For full coverage of the event, including photos and interviews with all the speakers and leading players, see the February/March edition of Rail Technology Magazine, or click here to download our iRail Supplement

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(Image of Pete Waterman courtesy of his website, pwl-empire.com)