Underground Railroad


 * This article is about the Resistance movement. For the railroad in a literal sense, see Rail-based transportation.

"There's a whole network of refugees, and they'll help you if they can."

- Barney Calhoun

The Resistance Underground Railroad was a series of resistance safehouses that were created to help refugees escape City 17.

The Safehouses


There were many safehouses in the Canals, a drainage network in City 17. Safehouses ordinarily contained a radio, supplies, and items necessary for a few resistance members to live there. These safehouses were called stations, and were numbered for radio chatter purposes. Whenever a refugee came through, the resistance members stationed at the safehouse would provide supplies, weapons, and help orient the refugee to the next safehouse.

Because of the heavy presence of Civil Protection patrolling the canals and rivers, safehouses were located in secret areas, to avoid detection.

One large safehouse/outpost housed an Airboat, an amphibious vehicle that was lent to refugees to cross the last half of the journey to Black Mesa East. This last part of the journey contained stretches of toxic waste material, and made the airboat necessary for crossing it.

The End of the Railroad
During Half-Life 2, Gordon Freeman made his way through the resistance canal network on his way to Black Mesa East, and was the last refugee through. In their attempts to apprehend Freeman, Civil Protection came down hard on the Railroad. The canal system was flooded with Manhacks, CP patrols carried out summary executions of resistance personnel, and bases on the river were bombarded with headcrab shells. Save for a bare few survivors, the Railroad was all but destroyed.

Notable stations
All of these stations were eventually destroyed by the Combine.
 * Station 6 - housed the airboat
 * Station 7 - dockside farm
 * Station 12 - also known as Main Station, largest station on the Underground Railroad
 * Station 8 - confirmed reports of manhacks being used to attack the Railroad

Historical reference
The Underground Railroad was named after the similarly titled system of safehouses in the United States, set up to aid slaves escaping from the South before and during the Civil War.