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Revision as of 02:29, 17 November 2020
Snowpiercer is a large, nine hundred ninety-four carriage long train manufactured and run by Wilford Industries. It continually circles the globe with the remains of human civilization following the global freezing extinction event seven years prior.[1]
The train is comprised of "classes" towards the front of the train, with those without tickets at the back of the train — these are known as "Tailies".
History
Originally a one-thousand-and-one carriage train, Snowpiercer was originally envisioned by Mr. Wilford as a luxury train, taking passengers around the world in style. This earned the train the nickname "Wilford's Dreamliner". When scientists tried to cool down the Earth to reverse global warming, Mr. Wilford foresaw that they will instead freeze Earth completely. He converted Snowpiercer into a 1001-cars-long Ark, which is destined to continually circle the originally exotic railway around the Earth.
However, according to Melanie Cavill, one of the engineers who designed Snowpiercer, the truth is she built the Engine and the train while Mr. Wilford was a fraud who "sold tickets." Mr. Wilford's true intention in building Snowpiercer was not to save humanity but to spend his remaining days in luxury. As a result, Melanie abandoned Mr. Wilford to die at boarding in Chicago while she assumed his identity to maintain order on the train.
"Around and around the Earth we circle. We can never stop."
Snowpiercer circles the globe 2.7 times a year, and every "revolution" is about 133 days. 6 years and 10 months after she left Chicago, Snowpiercer already made 18 revolutions and was about to begin its 19th in episode 994 Cars Long.
Its track length is 318,000 km, much more than the circumference of the Earth, as it travels across every continent, originally conceived as a tourist train that would visit hundreds of cities around the world.
According to the intro, Snowpiercer would visit, among other cities:
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When the first season begins, the train just left Alaska and entered the mountainous region of the Yukon Territory in former Canada, moving south along the western coast of North America. This stretch of tracks becomes more and more unstable after each revolution, with avalanches occurring as the train approaches. A few days later, after crossing the Rocky Mountains, the train is seen zooming through the Grand Canyon in Arizona towards former Mexico. After her climb of the Sierra Madre, the train crossed Central America and the Andes mountains before reaching the frozen rainforests of the Amazon on her way back to Northern America at the end of her revolution.
Population and social structure
Snowpiercer provides shelter, heat and food to about 3,000 "sparks". It is, by design, a heterogeneous environment with well delimited social classes and several formal and informal professions, each a distinct group with its own levels of influence and expectations. Snowpiercer's social structure is organized in two main categories, based on both physical placement on Snowpiercer (from front to tail) and social status.
While they only represent about 30% of her occupants (roughly a thousand persons), about half of the length of the train is dedicated to First and Second Class Passengers. The second half of the train houses both technical and agriculture cars, Third Class and Tail-Section. The last few cars of the train house about 400 stowaways who boarded right before Snowpiercer left Chicago.
Ticketed Passengers
First Class Passengers
First Class Passengers are the few cosmopolites and privileged mega-rich guests who bought an exclusive one-way ticket from Wilford Industries or invested early in the project. Among them are the world's richest and most influential, some of whom were industrial tycoons responsible for global warming before the Freeze.
This select category of ticketed passengers has the highest social status aboard Snowpiercer :
- They enjoy a mostly limitless variety of daily calories and rare products such as alcohol.
- They can access most of the train sections without limitation.
- They live up-train, close to the Engine Car, in spacious accommodations with luxurious amenities, and each family has its own double-decker carriage.
- Some of them enjoy the company of their pets.
- Some brought along their help, mostly armed bodyguards.
- They also have unlimited reproductive rights.
Many First Class Passengers attempt to live as if there was no significant change in the world's environment.[1] A feature of that alienated lifestyle is their tendency to make complaints and demands to Hospitality, arguably in outright denial of how autocratic the governance of Snowpiercer ultimately is.[1]
Ironically enough, the First Class Dining Car can fit a bit more than 32 guests, which represents about 1% of Snowpiercer's population. The First Class population might yet be more important.
Notable First Class Passengers include :
- Lilah Folger, a former lawyer, her husband Robert, daughter Lilah Jr and their bodyguard Erik Sotto.
- Rajiv Sharma, Chairman of the First Class Committee, his wife, and son (and daughter?).
- Members of a Scandinavian Royal Family.
- Martin Colvin, his Cantonese husband York Lam, and their two sons Gavin and Murray.
- Early investor Eugenia.
- Edith Gusterfeld (#1097).
In The Train Demanded Blood, Robert and Lilah Folger and 8 other First Class passengers are sent to their deaths when seven cars of the train are disconnected by Melanie, Layton, Bennett, and Miles.
Crew and staff
Crew members and their families were offered Second and Third Class tickets and invited onboard by Wilford Industries due to their specialized skillsets or to fill a necessary position, catering to the needs of Ticketed Passengers or keeping Snowpiercer's Eternal Engine running.
Second Class is for highly skilled and specialized workers, management, and their families. It may be implied that some Second Class passengers paid for their tickets onboard.
This category has a medium social status aboard Snowpiercer :
- They enjoy a diverse yet fixed amount of daily calories (rations include dessert every night).
- They have access to most of the train as part of their position but might not be authorized to use First Class amenities.
- They live middle train in spacious compartments with comfortable amenities. Family compartments might be bigger than single passenger compartments.
- They might either enjoy free reproductive rights or be subjected to a Baby Lottery.
Notable Second Class Passengers include :
- Primary Teacher Mary Elizabeth Gillies.
- Dr. Henry Klimpt, in charge of the Drawers Cars.
- Dr. Jinju Seong, Agriculture Officer.
- Dr. Pelton, in charge of the Third Class Clinic.
- Engineers Bennett Knox and Javier De La Torre, Head of Hospitality Melanie Cavill, Concierge Ruth Wardell, Lead Brakeman Roche and Commander Nolan Grey might also be considered Second Class Passengers though it is shown that Melanie's quarters are actually in the Engine car.
Third Class is for low skillset workers and their families.
Thirdies are passengers with a well defined social role but not much privilege or authority as they did not pay for their tickets :
- They enjoy a limited amount of calories (of dubious origins)
- They have limited access to the train outside of their work shift.
- They live in smaller accommodation down-train. While some Third Class Passengers live in shared quarters in the Chains Car(s), it is implied it is not the case for all Third Class Passengers. Third Class compartments might be similar in size and equipment to the Engineers compartment in the Engine Car: a shared compartment for up to four passengers, with a small bathroom and closets.
- Their reproductive rights are limited to a Baby Lottery.
Jackboots, Brakemen, Agriculture and Sanitation workers, Craftsmen, Janitors, Breachmen and Tunnelmen are all considered Third Class Passengers despite their essential role in maintaining Snowpiercer. The Train Rules however state that Third Class has the right to petition Wilford in labor disputes and matters of jurisprudence.
Stowaways
Tailies are apparently not an intentional part of Snowpiercer's society. Until the Civil War, they were not considered as passengers and were kept prisoners in the last few cars of the tail section. As such, they do not have any rights. They have no permission to visit other cars except on rare occasions, and when specifically given notarized authorization. According to Andre Layton, most haven't seen the sun since first boarding the train seven years before.
Group commitment among Tailies is strong, yet they are often tempted to find some way of entering a higher status group. The original Tailies were the survivors of a desperate group of stowaways who entered Snowpiercer by force of numbers after a violent conflict with the authorized passengers (mainly Jackboots). At some point, an uneasy understanding was reached, and currently 400 people strong, the Tail Section has very limited rights and survives on rations given unilaterally by Snowpiercer's management, to considerable distress of all involved. Tailies are easily the most tightly knit of all four social classes aboard Snowpiercer, to the point of often decreeing their commitment to the tail as a whole and feeling duty-bound to the group even after years of distance and sparse contact.[2]
Class upgrade and social mobility
Third Class Passengers and Tail section survivors represent 70% of the 3,000 souls onboard Snowpiercer (approximately 2,100 persons).
There is a small measure of social mobility in Snowpiercer. While the Tail Section is apparently given compulsory contraceptives, what few children exist among the Tailies are sometimes recruited for an apprenticeship when a position needs to be filled, which is implied to open access to at least Third Class. After the death of Electrical Engineer Di Marco, Miles is promoted to an Engineering apprenticeship in the Engine Car, after attending Miss Gillies' Class and tutoring lessons by Melanie Cavill. He and several other Tailie children had previously been selected to move up train in what is suggested to be a somewhat routine occasion where talented Tailie children are given the chance of a better lifestyle in exchange for their skills. The fact that Miles, a Tailie, was given such personal attention even before the revolution suggests that at least with the children, the train's staff doesn't discriminate in cultivating their gifts.
Third Class Passengers can apply to regular Fightnights which, while brutal, are nonetheless a means of progressing from Third to Second Class.
While frowned upon by Thirdies, stable relationship between Third and Second Class passengers can lead to some sort of civil union and Class upgrade.
Under unknown circumstances, some Tailies have been able to move up train such as Zarah Ferami and Astrid.
On rare occasions, Tailies have been known to be moved up train for special reasons: Old Ivan often recounted stories of a time when he was briefly brought forward to tune a piano, though he was later returned to the Tail. Andre Layton was offered a deal to become a Third Class passenger in exchange for his skills as a homicide detective, something that was lacking in the train's staff or other passengers.
Snowpiercer Crew
Most of the Third Class (unskilled labor force) and Second Class (skilled and specialized labor force) Passengers are actually Crew members. Snowpiercier is manned by a diverse crew, consisting of several departments and a strict hierarchy.
Engineering Department
This department is responsible for maintaining Snowpiercer's Eternal Engine and keeping life support systems working. Members of Engineering most likely enjoy unlimited and privileged access to the train, as the Engine Car access is bio-secure.
Chief Engineer and Head of Engineering Melanie Cavill is responsible for designing Snowpiercer. It is as much Wilford's project as it is hers.
Engineers took part in the design process. They maintain the life support and energy systems aboard the train. On a daily basis, they monitor the weather conditions, seismic activity and state of the tracks the train circulates on. They are seen to be also responsible for conducting the train. Their living quarters are located within the Engine Car (C0001). Bennett Knox and Javier De La Torre seem to be the only two Senior Engineers to work full-time in the Engine Car. While the former seems to be closer to a Mechanical Engineer, the latter seems to be more of a Computer Engineer, responsible for hacking weather satellites and trying to prevent Big Alice from uplinking and taking control of the Engine. Engineers' uniform is a light grey jumpsuit.
After the death of Electrical Engineer Peter DiMarco during the Torreta Canyon crisis, a new Engineering apprenticeship is opened and offered to Miles, a young Tailie. He is later promoted to the Engine Car, being let in on the secret of Mr. Wilford as a result.
Breachmen are Third Class crew members responsible for repairing any breach made to the hull of Snowpiercer. As such, their task is the most dangerous aboard, as they are exposed to both the deadly cold and the speed of the train. Breachman Bojan "Boki" Boscovic is the only known member of the Breach Team so far. Breachmen's uniform is their cold-proof grey EVA Suit.
Tunnelmen are Third Class crew members. Those mechanics are in charge of maintaining the various mechanical systems of the Sub-Train platform and making sure the cable car transportation system is up and running.[1]Known members of the Tunnelmen include Tunnelman Jakes Carter and Tunnelman Truck. Tunnelmen's uniform is their dark grey jumpsuit.
Hospitality Department
This department is responsible for maintaining smooth relations between the Crew and Ticketed Passengers and between Ticketed Passengers of different Classes. This mostly implies making sure First Class passengers enjoy their trip and project an impression of calm to the guests: "Calm Hospitality, Calm Train". Members of Hospitality are in charge of protocol and diplomacy within Snowpiercer. The Radio Room and Hospitality Office is located up-train, close to the Engine Car.
Head of Hospitality Melanie Cavill is seen addressing the other Heads of Departments and seems to be "Mr. Wilford's" second-in-command, running the Train affairs on a daily basis. She is also the Voice of the Train and is responsible for making public announcements twice a day (the first at 8:00 AM and the second in the evening), synchronizing time for the whole train.
First Class Concierge Ruth Wardell is second to her and is in charge of organizing day-to-day life and activities for the First Class Passengers, as well as announcements to the Tail section inhabitants. She also presided over LJ Folger's tribunal. Along with the Head of Hospitality, she takes part in the First Class Committee. A Second Class Committee and a Third Class Committee might also exist. Concierge Assistant Tristan helps her in her duties. Members of Hospitality wear teal uniforms.
First Class Dining Car waitstaff serve Guests during service hours. Two Maîtres d'Hôtel oversee the Dining Car and greet guests in their black livery while Waiters in white jackets and Maids in black and white aprons bring them food and drinks.
Chefs are responsible for preparing delicate meals for First Class Passengers. They wear a white double-breasted jacket and toque and a black apron. Cooks prepare more homely food served in Mess Halls for Second and Third Class Passengers.
While janitorial duties are probably part of the Maintenance Department, First Class Housekeepers are in charge of keeping the First Class private carriages spotless. They wear a white apron on their light grey uniform.
Human Ressources, Legal Affairs and Archives Departement
The Notary seems to hold a unique power and status within the train, as any official action taken by a member of the Crew requires forms bearing Wilford Industries logo to be signed and notarized, as seen when Dr. Klimpt was ordered to release Nikki Genêt from the Drawers. Among various clerical duties, she is most certainly responsible for the Removal Request for Andre Layton, and Apprenticeship Offers. She is also in charge of writing down the minutes of any Tribunal occurring onboard. She later oversees the executions of captured revolutionaries but appears to aid Jinju Seong and Javier De La Torre in rescuing Melanie from execution.
A member of the Archives dates Dr. Pelton.
To be expanded.
Security Department
Jackboots are the armed enforcement branch and security force of Snowpiercer, operating under the orders of Commander Nolan Grey. They wear a black padded jumpsuit and helmet. Firearms are prohibited inside the train to prevent any breach or damage to the hull. As such, they are usually armed with small handaxes, which they tend to use with savage bloodlust even when it is clear that there is no danger to themselves or others.[2] They guard the boundaries between each Class and between the Tail section (C0999, C1000, C1001), patrol the train, and maintain order during events such as Fight Night. Before Snowpiercer left the station, they were responsible for securing the boarding process and later fought against the people without tickets who boarded the Tail. Their Garrison is most likely located at the rear of the train, between the Tail section and the Sanitation section.
Other known members of the Jackboots include Jackboot Tyson, Jackboot Kaffey, Jackboot Clifford, Jackboot Donaldson, Jackboot Jefferson, Jackboot Stroud, Jackboot Mansfield, Jackboot Trotter, Jackboot Alvarez, and Jackboot Rogers. At the end of the revolution, most of the Jackboots are sent to their deaths when seven cars are disconnected from the train by Melanie Cavill, Andre Layton, Bennett Knox, and Miles.
Brakemen perform various police duties within the train (Tail Section included), such as Train Rules enforcement, lower management, patrols, and status reporting, under the orders of Lead Brakeman Roche. They wear a deep blue uniform. They have jurisdiction over all Ticketed Passengers and Crew members to detect, arrest and interrogate a suspect should a crime be committed amongst Ticketed Passengers and Crew members alike. Many are former Wilford Industries Security, but there are many exceptions.[1] Their Garrison is most likely located at the rear of the train, within Third Class Quarters and close to Sanitation Section. Other known members of the Brakemen Department include Brakewoman Bess Till, her partner Brakeman John Osweiller, Brakeman Ames, and Brakeman Fuller.
There are 15 Brakemen and over 156 Jackboots onboard. Unlike the Jackboots, the Brakemen generally remain neutral in the revolution aside from Till, stepping aside peacefully and according to Roche, trying to maintain peace in the chaos. Roche later joins the revolution and the Brakemen submit to Andre Layton's authority in the aftermath, continuing their peacekeeping efforts.
Agriculture Department
Agriculture workers are vital crew members as they are responsible for producing food and maintaining an extremely fragile closed ecosystem.
As Agriculture Officer, scientist Jinju Seong is most likely the head of that department. She is mostly seen managing the First Class Aquarium and Sushi Bar.
Gardeners operate the numerous hydroponic Greenhouse Cars and farm several cycles of crops each year. They wear beige jumpsuits.
Stockbreeders are in charge of the various Livestock Cars (Cattle Car, Aquaculture Car, Poultry Car...) where bovines, ovines, caprines, poultry cultures are bred. Butchers are in charge of butchering animals and producing meat. They wear a leather apron.
Agriculture workers included Sean Wise and Butcher Silva before their death.
Food Processing, where the former Tailie Astrid works, might be in a subsection of Agriculture.
Medical Department
The medical personnel includes Dr. Pelton, in charge of the Third Class Clinic, and Dr. Klimpt, in charge of the Drawers. Both later support Andre Layton's revolution, with Doctor Pelton treating injuries and hiding Layton and Josie Wellstead, while Klimpt helps The Last Australian to rescue prisoners from the Drawers.
Nurses are also part of the medical staff. It can be assumed that there are more Doctors and Surgeons on board.
Education Department
To be expanded.
Maintenance Department
they fix things and make sure the train is going
Entertainment Department
The Nightcar staff is led by singer Miss Audrey. She is assisted by cross-dresser bartender Clay and former Tail section resident Zarah Ferami. Nikki Genêt worked in the Nightcar before she was accused of murder.
To be expanded.
Crafts Departement
Papermaker Walter Flemming (#3163) is an elderly Third Class passenger who is in charge of making paper for the train. Walter acts as one of the judges on LJ Folger's tribunal and later assists Andre Layton's revolution. Captured during the revolution, he is executed with the Lung of Ice.
To be expanded.
Engineering
The Eternal Engine
Snowpiercer is powered by a perpetual-motion engine designed by Chief-Engineer Melanie Cavill and referred to as the Eternal Engine. It is not clear how this works, but Engineer Bennett Knox noted that, while the fuel is eternal, parts of the Engine are not and will eventually break and need replacement. It appears to draw more power when traveling at greater speeds. A display in the Engine Car features kWh/km units. As the train slows, the energy produced decreases, as does the distance traveled per second, providing a "double whammy" effect of reducing power.
At the train's average speed of about 100 km/hour, each "unit" of power production gives 100 kW, and from an estimated typical power generation of 20 kWh/km, the train's total power production is normally 2 MW, enough for roughly 2,000 modern American homes. It seems to be enough to keep the train life support and communication systems working, load the Battery Cars, and make the First Class extra-amenities (sauna...) work.
Carriages dimensions
Based on in-universe math, the average length of the cars is little over 16 meters or 52.5 feet. Based on the blueprint of the Brakeman's Garrison in the title credits of the series, however, a typical car is about only 40 feet long and 13 feet 6 inches wide (12.2m long and 4.1m wide). From external images of the train, the height of cars seems to vary between about 1.5 and 2 times the width (20-26 feet, or 6-8m tall) and would fit about two stories and a half.
Based on the concept art by Alex Nice, the train is even larger, being around 9 meters wide, 12 meters tall and 65 meters long per car (83 meters at the engine). This would make the 1001 car train exceed a length of 38 miles or 65.1 km. This is probably the closest to the actual dimensions since most cars have 2 levels, plus the Sub-Train and the wheel mechanisms underneath them. However, the scale used during the set is downscaled.
Utility Cars and the Sub-Train
Numerous Carriages are shown to be preceded by intermediary Utility and Battery Cars. Those cars are necessary to maintain life support systems (water, electricity, temperature, air quality...) all along the train. Battery Cars mainly house power banks to accumulate power as the train travels. At least 37 Battery Cars were offline after the civil war.
Each car has a Sub-Train platform underneath its main deck. That platform, only accessible from Utility and Battery Cars, is where the boogie motors help maintain the speed of the train. A cable car transportation system runs all along the tunnel of this platform and transports goods and people from section to section. Due to the borders between Third, Second, and First Class, the Sub-Train might actually be divided into three closed-loop subsystems for operating reasons (it is faster to operate small distance trips).
Train sections and design
Snowpiercer's 1001 cars are organized in different sections with their own unique features and design.
Front section / Engine Car (C0001)
The Engine Car has two levels. On the first level is a bio-locked[2] compartment, most likely containing the Engine. It's currently unknown if anyone can enter the Eternal Engine itself, as it does not use Access Chip technology as other security measures aboard the train.
Directly above the Engine is the train Control Room. While the train has automatic controls[3], the Control room is usually manned by one pilot and one engineer during the day and a single pilot during the night. They have an unrestricted view and access to numerous control systems ranging from speed control to diagnostic panels that alert the pilot to potential issues ahead. The Control room also serves as an information hub for the entire train[4]. If the train detects a breach or mechanical malfunction, it will alert the Control room operators.
One of the systems that can be controlled from the Engine is separating sections of the train. However, this is a complicated step and requires two safety switches to be disabled, one on either side of the separation while the Engine has two switches as well that require two operators to work. The switches must have keys turned in them simultaneously to be activated and then the switches themselves must be flipped at the same time to initiate separation of each end of the disconnected section of the train.
Behind the Control Room stands the Engineers living quarters with four bunks, a bathroom, and a bunch of closets. This compartment is currently occupied by Melanie Cavill and Miles.
First Class / C0002 > CXXX.
First Class is located right after the Engine Car (C0001). This section is the most luxurious of the train, designed with great taste, precious materials, large windows, and a sense of grandeur to accommodate its guests.
The Hospitality Car is where the Head of Hospitality and Voice of the Train has her office and makes her public announcements twice a day.
The Dining Car has been designed as Wilford's personal Dining Room where he would entertain his guests and friends. The table layout can serve about 40 guests per service. It can also double as an assembly room, especially during Tribunal sessions and meetings of the First Class Committee.
The Aquarium and Sushi Bar Car, known as the First Class Ocean, is one of the most awe-inspiring cars of the train. Most of the car is occupied by a large aquarium, crossed by an oval reinforced glass corridor. The aquarium is accessible from the second-floor and staff members are able to dive there with ease to farm seafood and fishes, providing a unique farm-to-table experience where sushi, sashimi, and rolls are made to order, the moment they are ordered. Agriculture Officer Jinju Seong oversees personally this car and its restaurant.
As per the Folgers' Quarters, First Class Guests live with their families in double-decked private Guest Carriages. The main deck consists in a public corridor for passengers to cross the car. From this corridor, at each side of the carriage, an entrance leads to the lobby of the Guest Carriage. In between those two lobbies is a living room equipped with a gas chimney, bookcases, and large windows. On one side of the carriage stands a closet room that can double as a bedroom for the help. On the other side, a flight of stairs leads upstairs where the guests' bedrooms and bathroom en suite are located.
Other First-Class amenities include a Sky Lounge Car, The Gallery Car, the Thermae (Sauna Car), a Gymnasium Car, an Aviary Car and a Bowling Alley Car.
Second Class / CXXXX > C0557
Second Class is located middle train behind First Class. While it is still unclear where it begins, as per blueprints used by the Third Class and Tailies rebels in These Are His Revolutions, it is divided into four sections, and ends at the Night Car.
This section offers comfortable accommodation to its passengers. While materials remain elegant and windows large and numerous, the whole Second Class is designed to be more practical and cozy.
Second Class crew Quarters include Dr. Jinju Seong's and Dr. Pelton's compartments. Both are constituted by a large room with two windows, equipped with a desk and a bed, as well as pieces of furniture and decoration belonging to their occupant. The structure of the compartments hints at the fact that bathrooms might be shared (there is no door visible in the room). Official concept arts for Second Class Quarters describe them as "designed with efficiency in mind" and with a "modular floorplan". Besides, it is possible that families' Quarters are larger and include a bathroom.
The Education section includes a series of Classroom Cars and Utility Cars. One of them (C0355) is used by Primary Teacher Mary Elizabeth Gillies. The bright and colorful car is mostly comprised of about a dozen desks for the pupils and is decorated by the children's works. After Andre Layton's fake capitulation at the end of the civil war, it is used by the Folgers and Commander Grey for the signing of the official surrender act. The rebels used the opportunity that most of the Jackboot forces would be concentrated within seven cars around the Classroom Car to detach them from Snowpiercer, leaving them to freeze to death.
Official concept arts show other amenities for Second Class, including a Mess Hall Car similar to the Third Class Mess Hall and a Media Car.
The twelve Drawers Cars (section 2.4, C0545-C0556) are located at the rear end of Second Class and house about 400 Drawers. They serve as both an extrajudicial imprisonment and medical experiment facility. Should Snowpiercer society collapse or fail, the Drawers are to serve as a failsafe, where 400 pre-selected people would be put into suspended animation as the last resort to save humanity.
The Night Car (section 2.4, C0557) is the last car of Second Class. While Mr. Wilford merely saw it as a decadent Art Deco brothel, Singer Miss Audrey saw its potential as a place to grieve together for what was left behind. Besides offering events and concerts featuring a rotating troupe of award-winning singers, actors, musicians, dancers, and entertainers for passengers of all classes, it also provides individual therapy sessions to remember the time before the Freeze and come to accept what was lost. As such, the Night Car has been both compared to Switzerland (a neutral Car in the middle of the train) and a bridge between Classes.
Third Class / C0558 > C0995
Third Class comprises all of the remainder cars past the Night Car, down-train, and makes up for half of the train length. Most of the carriages are one-deckers. As per blueprints used by Commander Grey when he planned on gassing Third Class, it is divided into at least three sections:
- Section 3.1 could be mainly residential
- Section 3.2 could be mainly industrial and cargo
- Agriculture is part of Third Class section 3.3
Third Class begins mid-train with a Jackboot station and checkpoint Border Car that can be closed to limit circulation up-train.
Residential Section (Third Class, section 3.1)
Third Class section 3.1 might be a residential section. While Third Class house a workforce of around 1,700 people, it offers very small accommodations to its passengers, with low-grade material and an industrial look. Individual space is a rarity in Third Class as most cars are either Agriculture Cars or industrial and cargo cars. Most residential compartments might be located mid-train. If cars mid-train still have windows, the further you go down-train, the fewer windows there are. Those shared compartments might be similar in design to the Engineers compartment in the Engine Car: small and efficient.
As all Third Class residents work in three shifts of 8 hours, the Mess Hall Car is open all-around the clock and switches from serving drinks to foods depending on the shift and time of day. So does the Market Car.
The Third Class Clinic Car, led by Dr. Pelton, is part of a small Medical Section that might include other medical cars. During the civil war in Third, it acted as a field hospital and rebel camp.
Industrial and Storage Section (Third Class, section 3.2)
Third Class section 3.2 might include industrial, storage, and Cargo areas. It might be where Food Processing and Papermaking are located. It seems like some Cargo Cars have been emptied over time and repurposed by Third Class residents into a Market Car, selling drinks, food and craft products, and the Chains Cars where younger and more carefree Third Class residents live in a community setting. Another one could be the Soundcar, an underground techno music club located somewhere in Third Class.
This section might also house a series of Battery Cars, as it is stated that at the end of the civil war, at least 37 of them were out of service.
Maintenance Cars might be dispatched all along the train. One of them (C0991) is located at the Tail.
Jackboots and Brakemen represent over 171 people. While it is known that they are Third Class residents, it is still unclear where in Third Class the Jackboot Garrison Car(s) is located, while it is hinted the Brakemen Garrison Car(s) is located between Sanitation and the Tail.
Agriculture Section (AG-SEC, Third Class, section 3.3)
Agriculture is one of the most essential parts of the train, both in size and importance, as its cultures and systems produce a variety of food and materials necessary for the survival of Snowpiercer crew and passengers, and might also serve to scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen. Melanie Caville said to Layton that there are 131 cars "just like this one" while standing in a Greenhouse Car, but it is unknown if she was referring to the whole AG-SEC or only Greenhouse Cars. It is also unclear if Food Processing is part of it, and if all the AGSEC cars are located at the end of the train, between the Tail section and Third Class, or if the different cars are dispatched all along the train to secure the food provisions.
Greenhouse Cars are large one-decker cars whose roof is a dome made out of reinforced glass and where crops are farmed on regular cycles using hydroponics, natural and artificial lights:
- Berries (14 cycles/year), including grapes, cherries, strawberries are cultivated in Greenhouse Car C0842
- Potatoes (7 cycles/year)
- Cocoa (6 cycles/year)
- Wheat (4 cycles/year)
- Rice (3 cycles/year)
- Sugarcane (2 cycles/year)
- Cotton (2 cycles/year)
- Lettuce, and probably other vegetables
- Tangerines, apples, and probably other fruits
Livestock Cars (Cattle Cars, Poultry Cars) are one-decker cars with large windows on one side where animals are bred for their meat, milk, eggs, skin, feathers, methane, and manure... Snowpiercer livestock includes goats, pigs, poultry (chickens, possibly ducks, goose, and turkeys too). It used to include cows too but an avalanche in the Cascade mountains led to the Cattle Car to be breached and its entire livestock to instantly freeze to death and go extinct seven years after departure. It might also be possible that horses are bred onboard, for First Class leisure activities.
Aquaculture Cars produces a variety of food and products such as fish and seafood. The water enriched by fish wastes also produces a natural fertilizer used within the hydroponics system. The First Class Aquarium and Sushi Bar Car might be a high-end version of Aquaculture Cars and is directly under the supervision of Agriculture Officer Dr. Jinju Seong.
This section also includes its own Water Reservoir as stated by Jinju Seong when discussing with Bennet Know and Melanie Caville about the consequences of the bovine extinction event. An old Apiary Car was closed down after the bees colony collapsed, four years after departure. It is unclear if bees went extinct too. Refrigeration Cars are where the crops and food are conserved after farming and before being processed and dispatched.
AG-SEC systems are intricately intertwined and create an artificial yet fragile ecosystem within the train. After the extinction of bovine cultures, Chief Engineer Melanie Cavill had to think to another way to produce necessary methane the cows used to produce. When Agriculture Officer Jinju Seong was tasked with devising a way for equal calories between classes, she angrily noted that lootings of AG-SEC Greenhouse Cars, Refrigeration Cars, and Aquaculture Cars at the end of the civil war led to crops destruction and food shortage.
Sanitation Section
Sanitation is a necessary yet dispised section of the train, located between Agriculture and the Jackboots Garrison Car at the Tail. This section might play a key role in the train systems. The industrial and windowless Sanitation Cars are equipped with compost units that transform organic wastes (manures, corpses...) into fertilizer using bugs and worms. This section might also include greywater filtration and treatment systems.
Due to the strong smells, working in Sanitation is not very well considered among Ticketed Passengers, to such extent that a team of three Tail residents is tasked with daily 8-hours-long shifts there.
The Tail / C0998 > C1001
The Tail section of Snowpiercer, located at the very rear of the train, mostly includes Utility Cars, Battery, and Cargo Cars. When Snowpiercer left Chicago, that section was boarded by stowaways who overpowered the Jackboots protecting the train. They have been living in the dark of the Tail ever since.
The Docking Car (C1001) has been designed to allow supply trains to board her in mid-voyage. At the end of that Car is a huge circular vault door that can be opened to allow supplies to be transferred from one train to the other. A Bio-Security Car (C0998) supposedly exists within the Tail to prevent any contamination from one train to the other but has been mostly used to prevent Tailies residents from infecting regular passengers.
Trivia
- There are 3,000+ passengers aboard.[3]
- The average speed of the train is 99.6km/h or 61.8mp/h
- Third Class (±1700 souls) and Tail (±400 souls) make 70% of passengers on Snowpiercer.
- Third Class keeps Snowpiercer running and touches every system on the train. They work seven days a week, three shifts a day to keep the bearings greased and the cold at bay. They draw straws to have children and die from preventable accidents and diseases that First Class (and possibly Second Class) get treatment for.
- Third Class has noodles.[1]
- Snowpiercer has its own black market, one of the most common drugs exchanged is Kronole.
- Most of Snowpiercer can be transversed by a Sub-Train that runs below the cars themselves and is not accessible to the Tail Section.[1]
- Snowpiercer's crew can close the boundaries between the classes ("borders") during the night without any special measures or announcements, although they usually do not. This border closing temporarily cancels the otherwise free transit of Firsts among the various Train Sections. The Sub-Train can be blocked as well."[2]
- Its mentioned that other people attempted to survive by going into bunkers or uploading their consciousness, presumably into computer systems, while "Mr. Wilford dusted off his train set."[2]
- There are 400 drawers in Second Class.[4]
- Most passengers have an Access Chip to enter certain cars based on their job or class. However, it is impossible to chip out of the Tail even with a chip granting access to potentially the entire train.
- It is possible for the crew to disconnect a section of cars, though it is not easy to do. First Class, particularly the Folgers, often complained that the Tail should be disconnected to get rid of the Tailies. As seen in The Train Demanded Blood, the process is complicated requiring two people, one on either end of the section to be disconnected and two Engineers in the Engine. Safety switches must be disabled at junctions on either end of the section to be disconnected while the Engineers must turn keys in two switches simultaneously in the Engine and then the switches must be flicked at the same time to disconnect each end of the section of cars.
- A cannibal kill cult once existed in the Tail, before Andre Layton killed it’s leader and brought it to a end. The rest of the train, thought it was a myth.
- In the Year Three Rebellion the Tail revolted, but was blind at every door and was defeated, 62 were killed and 13 (including Old Ivan) lost a arm.
- Seven years after departure, the Tail had their rations cut again and were being starved to extinction. The women were being sterilized and there had not been a child born in the Tail in five years.
- During the failed revolution, at least 1 rebel and at least 13 Jackboots were killed.
- In These Are His Revolutions, Jackboot Jefferson in the Bio-Security Car is the first Jackboot to die in the revolution, when he is decapitated and his head is placed in a box in the Night Car.
- In These Are His Revolutions, Big John in the Sub-Train, along with at least 17 Jackboots and Paterson in the Night Car, with at least 14 Jackboots, are killed during the revolution.
- In The Train Demanded Blood, Doctor Pelton confirms the death of 37 Rebels during the Battle of the Night Car.
- In The Train Demanded Blood, 147 people (about 5% of the train population) were sent to die during the Classroom Car Surrender Ruse when cars C-0350>C-0356 were disconnected from the train by the Rebels and Engineers. Casualties were from both side of the civil war : at least 28 captured rebels held prisoner, along with one Jackboot in Utility Car C-0350 (among which included Clay, Santiago and Mr. Riggs), excluding at least 4 prisoners executed (by Lung of Ice, including Walter Flemming), Lilah and Robert Folger, 7 other First Class Passengers and the Train Photographer in Classroom Car C-0355, Commander Nolan Grey and two Jackboots in Utility Car C-352 and at least 109 Jackboots (including Grey) in Utility Cars C-352>C-354 and Classroom Car C-355.
- The revolution cost the lives of at least 69 rebels, 10 first class passengers and over 141 Jackboots.
- After the revolution, everyone from The Drawers was freed.
- As of 994 Cars Long, Snowpiercer is ruled by Andre Layton after Melanie abolished her position after the Revolution ended in The Train Demanded Blood.
Gallery
Exterior
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Boarding in Chicago
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The Engine
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Departing Chicago
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The Cockpit
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Entering Yukon
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Slope coming down
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Avalanche closeup
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Nearing the Canyon
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The Engine
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Plowing through snow near Chicago
Interior
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0001. The Engine
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Control Room
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0004. The Sky Lounge
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0025. 1st Class Quarters
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0165. 1st Class Dining
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0188. The Gallery
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0189. The Thermae
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0190. 1st Class Gymnasium
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0191. The Aviary
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0217. 2nd Class Quarters
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0408. 2nd Class Media Car
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0429. Classroom
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0491. Night Car
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0727. The Greenhouse
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0838. Livestock Car
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0980. The Market
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0981. The Chains
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0992. Soundcar
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