Aerial photography is truly an urban explorer's best friend. I was studying some high-resolution aerial photographs of Richmond, when I noticed what looked like the entrance to a storm drain. I pointed it out to Random, who checked it out the next day. He reported that the entrance was a pair of 12' square pipes! He and Memphis explored it out soon after... I believe they were most impressed. I swung by there while in town the next weekend, and was awestricken myself.

This is a big drain, plain and simple. It starts out as a pair of 12' square pipes, then transitions back and forth through horseshoe shaped pipe, gothic arch shaped pipe, and round pipe. There are three chambers, where it is possible to pass from one pipe to the other. One of these chambers had a large steel sewer pipe than ran across it, about 6' above the floor. At the last chamber, the right tunnel continues straight ahead, while the left tunnel turns and heads off at an angle. We continued straight, because Random had run into a pocket of bad air in the left tunnel while exploring with Memphis the previous day.

The right tunnel continues onward, eventually coming to a brick chamber where several smaller pipes intersected. One of these carried a bubbly discharge, probably detergent from a carwash or an illegal hookup from a house or laundromat. Downstream of this pipe the drain floor was covered in super-slick algae, while upstream was clear and easy to walk on. From here onward, the main pipe was 7' round concrete pipe, then shrinking to 6' pipe, and eventually shrinking even further.

We eventually turned back, and exited through a side pipe connecting to the drain through a brick drop shaft. Very cool.

I'll be honest, I never would have imagine that Richmond would have a drain of this caliber (Get it? Caliber? Magnum?).  This is something I'd have expected in Australia, or Minneapolis/St. Paul... but not Richmond. It really makes you wonder what other incredible cool drains are yet to be found...

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