Drain Features

This page is intended to give new drain explorers an idea of what is in drains, what sort of features they are likely to come across and what type of tunnels there is.

Tunnel types

Tunnel features

Tunnel Types

There are several main types of tunnels around, with variations from the main type. The most common are RCP, Red Brick, Mummy and Rectangular type tunnels. Many tunnels change shape or type inside - Ie: Dungeon, Maze, Clan Tomb, Anzac, Autobahn, Great Stairway and many more.

RCP tunnels are Round Concrete Pipe tunnels. They are mostly joined pipe sections as used in tunnels like GOD, the new sections on Great Stairway, Dwellers, Banger's The New Big Ears Tunnel and more. Sometimes the mouths of older tunnels are extended to cater for new roadworks etc, like in Hexadus and the entrance of the tunnel may contain new work. The picture below depicts a typical entrance to a RCP tunnel.

Mummy. These tunnels are shaped like upside down horse-shoes. They are often narrower at the base than at head height and have curved ceilings. Some fine examples of these tunnels include the entrance to Sloth's, the older sections of Great Stairway, Clan Tomb, Glass Creek, Mummy and more.

Red Brick tunnels come in two main types: RBA or Red Brick Arch and RBT or Red Brick Tunnel which is a round tunnel. A prime example of Red Brick Arch would be Anzac. A good example of Red Brick Tunnel would be the lower and upper sections of Maze and NH Pillars. A variation on the theme is Red Brick Tunnels with a smaller half arch on the bottom than the top such as in Slide.

Below is a picture of the Red Brick Tunnel entrance to Room in the Labyrinth complex.

Rectangular and square concrete. These are rectangular tunnels, mostly wider than high. They are often larger than most tunnels although some like NG Pillars are average size. Some, like Coffin and Cougar's are low drains, with insufficient space to stand up. Others, like Cobras and a section of Autobahn are double or triple barrel drains, that is,they have two or more pipes running beside each other. Some of the best examples of these type of tunnel include Dungeon, the upstream section of Maze, Northcote Golf and parts of Autobahn. An unusual Rectangular Concrete tunnel can be found upstream of the stairs in Sloth's. It is higher than it is wide.

Below is a picture of the grille in the Rectangular Concrete tunnel Dungeon just before the spilt.

Arch . This is normally used on larger tunnels that carry creeks through them. Most are made by prefabricated concrete sections. The stunning example of a tunnel of this type is Autobahn, probably the highest and widest tunnel in UA City. These tunnels are commonly known as Concrete Arch type tunnels. There are also Corrugated Iron Tenths.

Bluestone. These are now relatively rare in UA City. Prime examples of these can be found in Champana, check the location sheet for details. A short section of Bluestone can be found in Maze, a part of the Labyrinth complex. Bluestone sections can be found in GOD and the upper reaches of Anzac.

Tunnel Features.

There are many sorts of features to be found in tunnels apart from just the tunnel shape. These include Stairs Slides Falls Pillars Grilles step irons Stations Splits Manholes Gutterboxes and more.

Stairs are most often used when the tunnel climbs a hill. They can be a series of low stairs, such as in GOD, or larger stairs such as in Sloth's and Clan Tomb. They are built where the tunnel climbs or descends a hill. They are much easier to navigate than a slide.

See the image of a mummy type tunnel to see stairs

Slides are also used to climb hills but are normally only short. Unless you have a rope or there are step irons they can be hard to climb. Some prime examples of slides are found in Slide, Hexadus and the new Big Ears tunnel. The one in Slide requires a ladder, rope or just a good deal of climbing experience to climb.

Falls. These are when the drain includes a considerable drop in them. You should be careful when climbing or descending falls. You can have problems holding your flashlight when climbing the ladders so you might be advised to tie your flashlight around your shoulder on a piece of string, or if you have a small flashlight, hold it in your mouth. Get a friend to shine a flashlight on you. Most falls have ladders or step irons on them. Some good examples of falls are in GOD, Maze, Falls and a few other tunnels.

Pillars are found in a few tunnels. These are often metal or concrete pillars that in most cases are used to support the tunnel roof and may have been part of an original bridge before the drain was a tunnel. Some good examples of pillars are in the chamber at NG Pillars and in the start of the chamber in Anzac.

Grilles. These are metal grilles which can either be in the roof or sides of the tunnel. Most are in the roof and provide welcome light and air to the tunnel. Some grilles are huge, covering the entire roof of the tunnel or forming a room of their own. Grilles that form a room of their own are called Grille Rooms.

Other grilles are small, they are simply a metal grid which may or may not have access ways. A nice new one has been put in Great Stairway and others are found in most tunnels. There is one at the end of work in the new Big Ear's Tomb tunnel and a big grille in Dungeon. Check the picture further up this page.

Step irons are the name given to the rungs used in ladders and traverses in tunnels. They are set into the concrete or brick sides of the tunnel. Mostly they form ladders such as in GOD but they can also be used to traverse sumps and slides such as in Hexadus. Most tunnels which have falls or slides will have a ladder or step irons. GOD even has step irons in it's entrance.

See the image of a mummy type tunnel to see step irons

Stations. These are named after their resemblance to railway stations. They look very much like miniature railway stations. They normally have low bench like 'platforms either side of the central drain. They are usually built where roads cross the tunnel and may be old road bridges from when the drain was still open. There are some quite good ones in Sloth's and Dungeon

Splits This is where the tunnel either divides into two or more separate tunnels or where side tunnels enter the main tunnel. These are found in a great many tunnels. Some tunnels such as Autobahn, Dungeon, Maze and more all have several large side tunnels which are worth exploring in themselves.

Manholes Well to give them their fancy name Human Egress Portals! Hmm, yeah. Manholes are located in the ceilings and sides of most tunnels. They usually have step irons leading up to them. Some are quite high up and have little platforms at the top. They come in many types, the classic metal grid ones, round ones with light slits in them, lightweight ones, heavy concrete and metal rectangular ones which are often located on footpaths. Some harder ones to open are the square and concrete ones which may have a series of small slits in them. These weigh a tonne and are often rusted into place.

The easiest manholes to lift are the lightweight concrete ones often found in gutter boxes. They are easily recognised by their rectangular shape and two lifting holes. Slide them along the groove and then pop them. Also easy to lift are round grilled manholes.

Be wary of opening manholes from underneath, if you hear the thunk, thunk of cars going overhead there's a pretty good chance the manhole is on a road. Also check for spider webs near the entrance.

Gutter Boxes

These are the holes located on the side of a gutter which rain runs into entering the drain system. They may or may not be accompanied by a grille in the gutter. Most only drain into small drains but some can be reached easily from large drains or via a short crawl along a side pipe.