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Build Camp - for 14 to 17 year-olds

Build Camp is a week-long construction event where forty 14 to 19 year-olds design and build their own railway line using real construction methods and materials. It gives students an introduction to the varied and exciting world of civil engineering by getting their hands dirty and working as part of a real construction team. In the end they'll have the satisfaction of delivering a railway line built at a 1:10 scale that they'll be able to ride on at the end of the course.

On the first day, the participants will survey three potential routes for the railway line and then choose one. The second day comprises of a guided process for designing the civil engineering structures for their route: cuttings; a causeway; a bridge; and the permanent way. The rest of the week is then spent working in teams doing everything from supervising construction plant operations and planning site logistics, through to pouring concrete and shovelling earth, so that by the end of the week they can cross the site on a train using their new line.

Build Camp is produced in such a way that the students have a real challenge to overcome. Only through the application of engineering principles and team work can the challenge be surmounted.

Time for design and build will be very limited so the participants will have to work under pressure. They will work with real construction materials and in close proximity to large-scale construction plant; while the health and safety training they receive will create a safe learning environment. Certainly the site will look and feel realistic and challenging....particularly when it rains.