There have been some questions asked over at the Eurobricks Train Tech forums OcTRAINber thread regarding the contest, which we have tried to answer the best as we could. For completeness, we have decided to post some clarification on the rules here as well.
Sizes
For us here at BMR, we normally use the same way of measuring as other scale modellers do, meaning:
US: Over the couplers
EU: Over the buffers
It’s a rule of thumb, so all trains that have buffers are measured like the EU, and all trains that just have automatic couplers are measured over the couplers.
Also, there is no limit on the width of the entry.
Entering old entries in the contest
OcTRAINber is a building contest, meaning that you have to submit a new model specifically build for the contest. To keep in mind: We have set up this contest to inspire people to actually build, so please no old models that have been posted already!
(If it wasn’t put online before, we would be willing to consider it. In the end, the pre-announcement did state that we encourage finally finishing those previously half-failed ideas for something long.)
Third party parts
BMR has always been positive towards third-party parts, as long as they have any way of added value to the hobby. So the rule of thumb is simple:
Lego: Yes
Third Party parts: Yes
Clones: No
Flickr
All entries have to be posted on our BMR Flickr. For this you need your own Flickr account, but trust us, there is an awesome community out there you can be part of!
The Swoosh
There were some questions about how the swoosh should look like. We didn’t state any rules for this so that’s up to your own imagination!
Types of consists
Lastly, there were some questions on what type of units you can send in. To give some clarification on this: Everything that has train wheels underneath it is allowed. So think locomotive, passenger carriage, goods wagon, etc. For semi-permanently coupled units you can think about trams, rescue trains (think SBB in the alpes), MOW equipment, Truck-Train combos like Hupac, the Eurotunnel LeShuttle, etc etc.
Good luck with building and enjoy your OcTRAINber!