Element-Class Cruisers - # of STT carriages & Accessing the Pipe Box

[Jim Vassilakos]

My understanding of the layout of the Element-class cruisers built before 1092 is that right on top of the ship, you've got the spinal-mounted PA canon, and this is built around the Spinal Weapons Tunnel (SWT). Below that is the Pipe Box, for auxiliary cables and storage as well as access to systems in support of the PA canon. Below the Pipe Box is the Spinal Transport Tube (STT), which includes much of the Underway Replenishment (UNREP) System and at least one personnel carriage (and possibly more) running through it, which is necessary to get back and forth between the bow and stern sections as well as to access to the ship's various pods. Is this an accurate description?

I'm running a campaign, using the Amara-class, which is the largest of the Element-class cruisers, and I'm wondering how many personnel carriages would be in service aboard this ship and also how exactly one would access the pipe box from the middle (pods) section of the ship. Would the access points be along the ceiling of the transport tube? Or would someone be able to go directly from a pod to the pipe box? Finally, how "zippy" would the carriage(s) be? Would going from one end of the STT to the other take tens of seconds or just a few seconds?

Or is all this left purposely vague so the referee can fill in the blanks?

 

[MasterGwydion]

My understanding of the layout of the Element-class cruisers built before 1092 is that right on top of the ship, you've got the spinal-mounted PA canon, and this is built around the Spinal Weapons Tunnel (SWT). Below that is the Pipe Box, for auxiliary cables and storage as well as access to systems in support of the PA canon. Below the pipe box is the Spinal Transport Tube (STT), which includes much of the Underway Replenishment (UNREP) System and at least one personnel carriage (and possibly more) running through it, which is necessary to get back an forth between the bow and stern sections as well as to access to the ship's various pods. Is this an accurate description?

I'm running a campaign, using the Amara-class, which is the largest of the Element-class cruisers, and I'm wondering how many personnel carriages would be in service aboard this ship and also how exactly one would access the pipe box from the middle (pods) section of the ship. Would the access points be along the ceiling of transport tube? Or would someone be able to go directly from a pod to the pipe box? Finally, how "zippy" would the carriage(s) be? Would going from one end of the STT to the other take tens of seconds or just a few seconds?

Or is all of these left purposely vague so the referee can fill in the blanks?

@Terry Mixon This question is right up your alley with pods. Maybe he will have the answer to this question.

 

[Terry Mixon]

@Terry Mixon This question is right up your alley with pods. Maybe he will have the answer to this question.

I don't think it specifies, so it was left up to the referee.

 

[shammond42]

I was thinking that two moving sidewalks, one in each direction, makes more sense than horizontal elevators. With the elevators, you are limited to one or two carloads of people at a time, have to deal with stops, and so forth. The sidewalks are continuous and people can hop on/hop off where they need to. I figure they probably move at twice normal walking speed, adding 36 meters of movement per round to anybody on it. Somebody walking full speed (3 minor actions/round) could go from one end to the other in 13 rounds, or about a minute and a quarter.

None of that is official, just my interpretation.

 

[Terry Mixon]

I was thinking that two moving sidewalks, one in each direction, makes more sense than horizontal elevators. With the elevators, you are limited to one or two carloads of people at a time, have to deal with stops, and so forth. The sidewalks are continuous and people can hop on/hop off where they need to. I figure they probably move at twice normal walking speed, adding 36 meters of movement per round to anybody on it. Somebody walking full speed (3 minor actions/round) could go from one end to the other in 13 rounds, or about a minute and a quarter.

None of that is official, just my interpretation.

Sounds good to me.

 

[Condottiere]

A paternoster (/ˌpeɪtərˈnɒstər/, /ˌpɑː-/, or /ˌpæ-/) or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator, consisting of a chain of open compartments, each usually designed for two people, that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The same technique is also used for filing cabinets to store large amounts of (paper) documents or for small spare parts.[1] The much smaller belt manlift, consisting of an endless belt with steps and rungs, but no compartments, is also sometimes called a paternoster.

The name paternoster ("Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin) was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers.[2]

The construction of new paternosters was stopped in the mid-1970s out of concern for safety, but public sentiment has kept many of the remaining examples open.[3] By far, most remaining paternosters are in Europe, with 230 examples in Germany and 68 in the Czech Republic. Only three have been identified outside Europe; one each in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Peru.[4][5]

 

[Arkathan]

Paternoster: since it is going horizontally instead of vertical, you could have a circular moving walk at the landings moving at the same speed as the car, like the WEDWAY People Mover that used to be at Disney, making getting on and off easier

 

[Condottiere]

In terms of optimal usage, pretty dependent on deck orientation, and by that I mean tailsitters.

You could make them unsolid state, and just have gravity generators, and you sort of float to the floor you want.

I've been contemplating the introduction of electrical scooters.