A Track Scaler is a small autonomous track vehicle. However, as an autonomous vehicle, they are not designed to support life and are about the size of a broom closet.
History[]
One or more track scalers were kept in a hangar on the Rocky Mountain Test Track near the Breslauer Weather Station.[1]
After being left behind by Snowpiercer and Big Alice and running out of supplies, Melanie Cavill made her way to the Rocky Mountain shed where she managed to get a track scaler going. Having retrieved Suspension Drugs from a lab as well as stimulants to help her wake up, Melanie set out in the track scaler in search of Snowpiercer, first by traveling west and south onto the main line (ahead of the Pirate Train), around South America, then missing Big Alice in Central America (after it left the main line). She traveled the globe on the mainline and later switching to a secondary track when she found no sign of the train. Melanie would use the suspension drug to place herself into hibernation in order to counter the track scaler's lack of proper food and water supplies, using the stimulants to wake herself up at intervals. However, by Day 172, Melanie ran out of the stimulant and was unsure if her body was strong enough to wake up from suspension on its own.[2][3]
Six months after Melanie's presumed death, Joseph Wilford revealed to Alexandra Cavill that he had picked up a track switch signal in France while chasing after the Pirate Train, which was on a different continent at the time. As a result, Wilford correctly deduced that Melanie was in fact still alive.[2] Following up on Wilford's lead, Alex and Bennett Knox were able to use a trail of tripped track switches back to the hangar on Neckbreaker, correctly deducing what Melanie had done. However, they worried that Melanie hadn't survived due to the track scaler not being equipped to support life. The Engineers were able to track the vehicle to Hungary and detoured Snowpiercer to find it. Once the train got close enough, it picked up the track scaler's signal on satellite.[1]
Snowpiercer eventually managed to catch up to the track scaler, but the crew was unable to raise Melanie on the radio. As Alex drove the train, Bennett took control of Snowpiercer's crane arm, but the vehicle was too far away for Andre Layton and Josie Wellstead to reach, so Javier De La Torre took control of the track scaler remotely and switched it onto a closer spur line. Josie jumped onboard and attached the crane to the top of the vehicle, allowing Bennett to successfully lift it into Snowpiercer's cold lock. Upon the track scaler being opened, Melanie was found to still be alive inside, although unconscious from her suspension drugs. Melanie was taken by Doctor Pelton for treatment and she woke up three days later.[3]
Melanie and Layton later decided together to exile Wilford himself in the track scaler with a supply of suspension drugs and stimulants, just like Melanie had. As the track scaler was put back onto the tracks and set out on its new journey, Wilford put himself into suspension.[4]
About a month after being exiled, Wilford was found in the track scaler by International Peacekeeping Forces and he was taken to the Silo.[5]
A year later, after Miles overheard Admiral Anton Milius talking about an ambush on New Eden, Bess Till attempted to use a track scaler programmed by Bennett to travel there and warn them. A scuffle with a member of Animal Squad forced Miss Audrey to go instead while Till remained behind on Snowpiercer.[6] Audrey arrived at New Eden in bad shape on the track scaler. She was found by Layton who was walking along the tracks at the time and warned him that "they're coming."[7]
Layton later tried to figure out how to get the track scaler going again when Ruth Wardell refused to let him take Big Alice after Snowpiercer. However, he was unsuccessful.[8]
After Layton surrendered Big Alice in exchange for being taken to Liana, Milius revealed that Wilford was working in the Silo. Wilford explained that Milius and his men had found him in the track scaler and rescued him.[9]
Trivia[]
- According to Alexandra Cavill, the track scaler can go on for years without any human input, although Melanie appeared to have rigged up some manual controls in the autonomous machine.
- Javier De La Torre was able to control the track scaler's systems remotely from Snowpiercer once the train got close enough to it.
- The track scaler is small enough to fit in Snowpiecer's cold lock, with room.
- The hanger facility (possibly) has cranes to transfer the vehicles to and from the track.
- Due to the fact that a track scaler has shackles for a crane, the extended wheel folds up and Snowpiercer had a crane and room for it onboard, as well as a spur track that brought it right next to the train, the Wilford Industries Global Express, must have performed occasional maintenance on the vehicles or was equipped to.
- The extended wheel retracts when switched on to the spur track. Also, once the track scaler was lifted off of the track, its extended wheel folds up, although it's unclear if this was in response to it being lifted up off of the track or if Javi triggered the action remotely. Later, the wheel folds back down as the vehicle is being put back onto the track.
- The track scaler has front flashing lights and a Wilford Industries logo on the back.
- The Rocky Mountain shed must have been well insulated from the Freeze and was powered by solar panels, since Melanie spent some time there retrofitting and putting onto the track the track scaler to survive.
- Track scalers can pull power from track switches as they pass by in order to charge their onboard batteries.
Gallery[]
