Ottowaga Model Locomotive Efficiency Test Trial Event

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