The historic drainage/ring channel in the area of the front foundations on the inside of the locomotive shed is similar to the investigation pits. Preserving it in working order as a walk-in drainage structure would involve a great deal of effort and expense, but its usefulness for museum purposes would be extremely limited. Here, too, a solution was worked out in close consultation with the lower monument protection authority of the city of Darmstadt. This envisages documenting the canal. It will be used to lay supply and disposal lines and then backfilled. In this way, it will be indirectly preserved for posterity and nothing would stand in the way of a possible reactivation in the case of a renewed demolition and new construction after another 130 years.
In order to access the pipelines to be laid for maintenance purposes during later operation, inspection shafts are being prepared in the area of the track axles.