A tunnel runner was a type of 23rd century ground vehicle used to travel through mining tunnels.
Specifications[]
The model L tunnel runner was 4.5 meters long and 1.3 meters tall. The cockpit, open with a protective windshield, had room for a driver and two passengers. Tall, thick, highly treaded wheels provided traction. A well-trained, experienced driver could maneuver the vehicle safety at speeds up to 40 kilometers/hour. (FASA RPG module: Witness for the Defense)
The vehicle type was challenging to maneuver in narrow tunnels and rough terrain. It was customizable, but only available in appropriate locations. Its storage bay could transport up to 125 kilograms of mineral ore, and its power cells could be recharged by fusion reactors. (FASA RPG module: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual: Agent's Orientation Sourcebook)
Service history[]
In the 2260s decade, the Pergium Production Station on Janus VI had 32 tunnel runners available for miners to use, plus an extra reserved exclusively for Medical Officer Laurel Levine. Miner Randy Conway refit one tunnel runner so that it could travel 50 kilometers/hour, and enjoyed driving the vehicle.
In 2270, after discovering fellow miner Louis Handy dead, Jack Katz drove back to the station to report it, but in his panic overturned his tunnel runner. Doctor Leonard McCoy rode a tunnel runner to inspect a murdered Horta. And Assistant Chief Engineer Ed Appel deployed 32 tunnel runners in search parties to look for another Horta, with personnel selected by Administrator Wilson Vanderberg and Captain James T. Kirk. (FASA RPG module: Witness for the Defense)