This article is timeless and should be accurate for any version of the game.
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The Mineseeker is the Bassett Motor Society’s mechanized mule. This small 0-4-0 locomotive can haul tonnes of weight over short distances with little overhead. Ideal for a mining operation or short-range supply chains.
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— In-game description
The BMS Mineseeker (also known as a Small Train Locomotive) is a small open-aired, early-game logistical small train designed to connect to other train cars in order to haul large quantities of resources and materials along Small Gauge Railway Tracks.
Controls the movement of the vehicle, and can see the remaining fuel in the vehicle
Interacts with nearby structures - press E or Shift + E
Able to access connected small train car inventories when interacting with structures
Players can enter from left of right side but only exit from the right (driver seat). Players must be careful about this because they can be unable to leave the train in certain locations. Special care should be taken to have enough fuel (coal) as if the train stops moving and player cant leave, the player shall be stuck.
Armament
The BMS Mineseeker is not equipped with a main armament.
Inventory
It has 1 inventory slot that can hold any item, but should be reserved for Coal (stacks up to 100).
Unlike other vehicles the Small Train Locomotive is considered to be reversing (and thus moving slower) based on whether it's pushing cars instead of pulling them.
Health & Armor
The BMS Mineseeker has 1650 HP and is disabled under 50% health. It has "Light Armor" resistance: it can soak small arms fire and shrapnel, and it is immune to Flamethrowers. It can soak 12.7mm machine gun fire but not for long. Heavy explosives and anti-tank weaponry are an extremely dangerous threat to it. It takes 100 Basic Materials to fully repair it from 1% to 100% health with a Hammer.
Interactions
Couple two cars together - hold Shift + E and press Couple Cars (they must be touching/close together)
When connected, it will pull any attached small train car along with it
Up to 5 small train cars can be connected, locomotive included.
Decouple two connected cars - requires a Wrench used in the area between the two cars
Can interact with most structures in proximity - press E or Shift + E
Can pull three times the normal amount from stockpiles - press Shift + LMB
Pulls items from facility stockpiles nine times faster than on foot
Can access the inventory of connected small train cars when interacting with structures by selecting the car in the structure's menu
The BMS Mineseeker is the main transporting vehicle for other small train cars, and should only be used in logistical tasks, where the transportation and collection of large quantities of items, materials, and resources are required. Additionally, these types of vehicles should be only be used in backlines and midline regions, and as far away from frontline combat.
Due to its means of transportation, it is very limited to where it can move, especially since small gauge railway tracks cannot move between hexes. It is highly recommended to keep their movements limited and in small, manageable areas.
Like other logistical vehicles it retrieve items from stockpiles twice as fast as on foot, but it retrieves items from facility (and Concrete Mixer) stockpiles extremely fast (more than 4 times faster than a truck).
Trivia
Unlike its real-life counterpart, the Small Train Locomotive cannot be derailed and will automatically stops at the end of a track.
When the BMS Mineseeker was first released, it had an accelerated assembly speed for all structures (facility or not). As such it was used extensively to reduce pull times of all times (in combat, and logistical roles). This was nerfed in Update 1.53, with the accelerated pull times being restricted to only facility structures.
In response to community complaints regarding this change, the devs created a special accelerated pull time condition, which will decrease a player's pull time by 50%, which will slowly decrease to their regular pull times after a certain amount of items are pulled (this will be regained after a certain amount of time has passed).
Gallery
The BMS Mineseeker from the front
The BMS Mineseeker from the rear
A BMS Mineseeker accessing a Resource Transfer Station, showing the contents of every small car connected to it
A BMS Mineseeker with three Small Flatbed Cars containing various materials
A BMS Mineseeker with a Small Flatbed Car and Small Container Car attached to it
The BMS Mineseeker introduced in the Update 1.50 ('Inferno') Dev Stream
