Technical Information for Rail Competition

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The vehicles will be divided into categories. In each one or more riders and passengers are possible.

Racing Vehicles
These especially aerodynamic vehicles are meant to reach the highest possible speeds in sprints.
Vehicles allowed to race in this category must be especially well constructed in respect to safety. In particular there must be no derailing even if braking hard. The construction must therefore be adequately stiff.

Practical Vehicles
These are meant for the transportation of people or goods, be it for touristic purposes, on private lines such as factory sidings, or for special purposes such as tidal island access or rail inspection.
 

Prevention of Derailing
The track is on a raised bed of rough gravel with some H&endash;shaped steel posts with sharp edges about 2.2 m from the track. Even though most of these should be padded, this cannot be guaranteed and therefore derailments must be avoided absolutely.Only vehicles which are very well constructed will not be subjected to a speed limit and thus allowed into the racing category.

Brakes
The brakes should act on all wheels or on at least two wheels and the rails. They should correspond at least to good bicycle brakes and there must be a minimum of two independent systems. A parking brake (or wedges) is also required. Because of the relatively large width the distribution of braking force must be carefully considered and correspond to the vehicle's centre of mass in such a way that no large yawing moments can occur even when braking hard. This is especially important for racing vehicles and for vehicles with more than one person.

Warning Signal
Each vehicle must carry a loud acoustic warning device.

Weight
All vehicles must be capable of being lifted on and off the rails by the driver(s) and passenger(s).

Procedure
All participants are required to follow the instructions of the event officials and to drive in such a manner that collisions do not occur. They must be prepared to lift the vehicle from the rails in an emergency.

Protection
When travelling at over walking speed, helmets must be worn. The vehicles must not allow protruding limbs to touch the ground unintentionally or people to fall off.

Responsibility
This rests solely with the constructors and drivers of the vehicles even when these are admitted to the event by the technical committee. Both the organisers and the Sensetalbahn decline any responsibility. This holds also for collisions with other vehicles or objects such as masts. These will be partially padded but this cannot be guaranteed. The level crossings will be guarded, the stretch blocked and the overhead electric line disconnected. In spite of this all participants use the stretch at their own risk and must sign a waiver to this effect.
 

 

Technical Questions
Theo Schmidt, Ortbühl 44, CH-3612 Steffisburg
Tel & Fax P: 0041 33 437 19 12

Test Rides, Accommodation
Tourismus Laupenamt / Sensetalbahn
Postfach 55, CH-3177 Laupen
Tel G: 0041 31 740 62 75, Fax G: 0041 31 740 62 26
www.laupenamt.ch
 

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