Slow Shutter Techniques

Posted on November 24, 2011 by ckng

We all know that we can use a Neutral Density (ND) filter to slow down the shutter speeds to get really smooth water when shooting waterfalls, or to smooth out the ripples on the water surface, something like this:-

Singapore Skyline shot through a 10-stop ND filter. The long exposure helps to smooth out the ripply water surface.

During our recent morning shoot, Jed taught us another technique we can use. This involves taking multiple shots of the scene and merging them together. Thankfully this can be done in-camera on my Nikon D200. All’s needed is to go into the menu, enable the Multiple Exposure mode, set Auto Gain to On and set the number of exposures desired. Ten is the maximum we can go. Auto Gain will automatically compensate the exposures for the 10 shots so that it’ll still be correct when merged.

The results are slightly different. The Multiple Exposure method smooths out the water as well, but also retains a bit of the ripples, giving a little more natural look.

Singapore Skyline after sunrise. 10 stacked exposures to smooth out the ripples on the water surface.

For comparison, this is a shot (from another shoot) without any ND filters or Multiple Exposures.

Singapore Skyline without ND filter or multiple exposures.

So the next time you need a slow shutter speed and do not have a ND filter handy, remember this trick.

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Singapore Skyline At Dawn

Posted on November 23, 2011 by ckng

I am never quite a early morning person, but my friend Jed who came over to visit wanted to do a nice skyline shot after I showed him what I got earlier this year. From past experience, the best time to get a good skyline shot with near-perfect reflections is in the early morning. Besides, it’s the monsoon season again, and it’s been raining in the late afternoons for the past few days, ruining the chances of a good evening shot. So Jed, Boon Hwee and myself decided to head over to the outdoor theatre at the Esplanade to get shots of the Singapore Skyline last Saturday morning.

I took my first shot at 6:13am. The water is reasonably still on this day, giving the nice reflections that we were after.

Singapore Skyline before the break of dawn

Soon came first light and dawn starts to break. From this moment on, the light is changing very rapidly. Not wanting to miss the action over at the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, I setup my second camera, a Panasonic LX3 on a Joby Gorillapod Original clamped to the cable supporting the roof of the outdoor theatre, as I had done on previous shoots. The last time I shot it, it’s still partially under construction but today, it’s finally completed.

Marina Bay Sands At Dawn, shot using a Panasonic LX3 on a Gorillapod.

Just for kicks and to see how well the much touted iPhone 4S would perform as a camera, I took a handheld shot of the same scene on it. I gotta say I am pretty impressed.

Marina Bay Sands at dawn, shot using an iPhone 4S handheld.

Yes, the Panasonic had richer colours, but I think overall it performed darn well. Part of the loss of colours might be due to the iPhone doing auto white balancing, which tends to flatten subtle colours slightly.

As the sun begins to rise, we started to notice pink streaks of clouds appearing in the sky. The scene before us is a sight to behold. Plus, despite the fact that the Merlion has begun to sprout water now, the water surface has remained very still. I guess the effects of the Merlion’s water will take a while to get to this side of the bay.

This is my best shot of the Singapore Skyline to date. Waking up in the morning and making the trip down has been worth it.

Streaks of pink clouds appear in the sky as the day breaks over the Singapore Skyline.

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Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and Water Wheel

Posted on October 16, 2011 by ckng

The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was built in 1895 to safely guide ships traveling to Australia’s eastern ports. It’s situated at the most southerly point of Australia at Cape Leeuwin, and marks the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. Unfortunately on the day when Clarence and myself visited it during our trip to Western Australia a few months ago, the lighthouse was closed for maintenance so we can only explore the surroundings. A short path flanked by the lighthouse keepers’ sheds lead us to the lighthouse from the ticket counter.

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and Sheds

View of the light keepers' sheds from the lighthouse side.

One of the light keepers’ sheds is in the form of a lovely cottage-styled house. HDR imaging was employed here as the overcast sky was giving a rather large contrast range which was not possible to properly capture as a single frame.

Lightkeeper Cottage

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

You probably can’t tell from the photo but this is apparently the point where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. Click on the photo to view a larger version.

Panoramic shot of the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.

Close by to the lighthouse is an old water wheel. Originally built in 1895 to bring fresh spring water to the light keepers, it eventually became disused. Over time, it was encrusted in a coating of limestone, “freezing” it in rock and time. Again, HDR imaging was used here to manage the high level of contrast in the scene.

Old Water Wheel near the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.

Another view of the old water wheel near the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, showing the Indian/Southern Oceans in the background.

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Hin Hollywood Canteen

Posted on September 11, 2011 by ckng

Just before the Hari Raya Puasa holiday, my good friend Boon Hwee asked if Gilbert and I would like to shoot the Hin Hollywood Canteen, near the Paya Lebar/Tanjong Katong area. It was to be closed for redevelopment from 1 Sep 2011. Being a fan of historical places as well as an interest of documenting things and scenes which will be gone, I readily agreed.

We met at the Paya Lebar MRT Station and proceeded towards the Hin Hollywood Canteen which is opposite the City Plaza shopping mall.

City Plaza

The canteen, which is actually more of a traditional coffee shop is located near the Hollywood Theatre, hence the name. No longer a theatre, it used to house the City Harvest Church before they moved to their present location at Jurong West and now houses the Sheng Shiong Supermarket. This too, would be torn down for redevelopment come 1 Sep 2011.

Hollywood Theatre now houses the Sheng Shiong Supermarket.

The coffeeshop/canteen itself is a rectangular block at the edge of a carpark. A Chinese documentary featured the place and people swarmed to it after learning of the impending closure. This somewhat reminded us of the people swarming to the 2 railway stations just before their closure and the land returned to Singapore.

View of the Hin Hollywood Canteen from the carpark.

The prata stall and the wanton mee stall appear to have the longest queues. Three of us walked around, looking for a seat in the crowded coffee shop and sneaking a few shots in between.

Lots of people queueing up for roti prata.

Flipping the prata

I queued for the wanton mee stall while the other 2 took turns shooting and waiting since I am buying for them. The queue snakes around the chai tow kway (fried carrot cake) stall, where the owner is busy making plates of the chai tow kway.

The stall owner fries a small portion of carrot cake for a customer.

A customer collects his plate of fried carrot cake with black sauce while the stall owner gives him his change.

Meanwhile, behind the wanton mee stall, 2 women chit chats and reminisces the old times with an old customer while they make the wantons (dumplings) to go with the noodles.

An old customer chats and reminisces with the 2 women who were making the wantons for the wanton mee stall.

On the stall, I caught sight of this old school “tear a page a day” type of calendar. The stall owner must have been too busy to tear off the old pages.

An old tearaway calendar at the wanton mee stall. The stall owners were probably too busy to even tear away the pages to reveal today's date. This photo was shot on 30 Aug, but the calendar is still showing the 28th.

According to Boon Hwee, the stall is at least 50 years old, and a friend who was integrated into the family helped with the food preparations. After what seemed like eternity, it’s finally my turn to place my order for 3 plates of the noodles.

The stall assistant, a family friend of the owner of the wanton mee stall adds the char siew to a plate of wanton mee.

A view of the front of the stall.

The stall owner deftly cooks the noodles in a pot of boiling water, occassionally flipping it.

Like a factory's production line, the stall owner scoops the cooked noodles onto a plate of seasoning. The stall helper takes over from there, adding the other ingredient like char siew and vegetables.

The final product - a plate of wanton mee and dumpling soup.

After finishing the noodles, we decided to have a go at the prata too. Like typical Singaporeans, we believe that “if the queue is long, it must be good.” :)

Roti prata kosong (plain) and curry

Breakfast settled, we walked around the coffeeshop, taking more photos for posterity.

Interior view showing the drinks stall and some customers having a meal.

An old coin-operated phone and clock at the drinks stall.

Side view of the Hin Hollywood Canteen from the Haig Road side.

Side view of the Hin Hollywood Canteen from the junction of Haig Road and Tanjong Katong Road. Over the years, the signboard have almost faded.

With air-conditioned food courts becoming popular now, old coffee shops and hawker centres like this one are fast fading into oblivion. Before long, they’ll be entirely gone. I hope at least some of these will be preserved, but that’s probably a long shot given our rapid pace of redevelopment.

For more photos of the Hin Hollywood Canteen and surrounding area, do check out my Flickr set.

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A Visit To My Childhood Home

Posted on August 21, 2011 by ckng

Not too long ago, a friend and primary school classmate told me that the HDB block where I used to live in as a child will be torn down soon. It is part of the Selective En-Block Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), and by now most of the residents have moved out.

Not wanting to lose a piece of my childhood memory to the rapid development that Singapore is undergoing, I decided to make a trip down to take some photos of the place where I grew up in. I was feeling rather lazy so for this I’ve decided to use my trusty Panasonic LX-3 instead of my DLSR. The Panasonic also has the advantage of having a wide-angle 24mm at f/2.0 which my DSLR setup cannot provide.

Block 20, Upper Boon Keng Road is a L-shaped HDB block. Arriving at the carpark near the intersection of the “L”, I took a shot of it from the bottom. I had the fortune of having a nice blue sky today.

A view from the bottom corner where the 2 sides of the black meet.

Nearby is a now-disused and rusted bicycle racks.

Disused and rusted bicycle racks

Downstairs, at the void deck is a provision shop that I used to visit regularly to buy tidbits. It still looked the same as I remembered, with a public toilet next to it which visitors have to pay 10 cents to use.

The now-vacated old provision shop at the void deck where I used to buy titbits as a kid.

Moving over to the open field in front of the flat, I took a shot which shows the L-shape construction of the block.

View of the L-shaped Block 20, Upper Boon Keng Road, from the open field in front.

Interestingly, the playground (which wasn’t there when I was staying here) only has a rocking horse and nothing else. Kind of pathetic, isn’t it?

A lone rocking horse at the playground below the block.

Like many HDB flats of yesterday, Block 20 has sides made of a red brick wall where a sign indicating the block number is attached to.

View of the brick side-wall of the block with the Block 20 sign.

A close-up view of the Block 20 sign on the brick wall.

View of the block from the car park. Tone-mapping was done in Photomatix to bring out some details on the brick wall which was in a shaded area.

Typical of old HDB flats, some of the lift landings require climbing a short flight of stairs to get to. I believe that’s because they need some space below for the lift engine or other mechanics.

A small flight of stairs leads to the lift landing.

The lift here is of the old-school kind, with buttons and indicators lit by orange/yellow incandescent light bulbs instead of the newer LEDs. The door is also a single sliding door instead of the more common double doors you see today in newer HDB flats.

An old-style HDB lift. One needs to climb a small flight of stairs to reach this.

The incandescent-lit lift button.

An old-style lift-level indicator lit but incandescent bulbs. This is actually taken from another lift in the same block as I've forgotten to shoot the same one when I was taking this lift.

The control panel inside is just as old school. Typical of old lifts, this one does not stop at every level, only at specific levels.

The old-style lift control panel, complete with incandescent-lit buttons.

I took the lift to the 10th floor to see what it’s like. I can no longer remember how it looked like when I was still a child, but it’d still be interesting to see what it looks like now.

What greeted me was a panoramic view of the surroundings.

A panoramic view taken from the 10th floor towards the direction of Geylang. Click the image for a larger view.

Looking down the corridor, I was intrigued by the converging lines of the ceiling and the parapet wall leading towards the other part of the “L” shaped block.

A view down the corridor from the 10th storey showing the other part of the "L" shaped block.

Looking down, we see the open field where a playground and basketball court is. A tent has been setup for some religious event (probably the Hungry Ghost Festival).

View of the field in front from the 10th floor. There's a playground and a basket ball court. A tent has been setup for some religious activity.

I decided to go higher up to the 14th floor to see what I can get. I realised I did not have a shot of the corridor showing the residential units so I decided to take one.

A view down the corridor from the 14th storey, showing the residential units which are now vacant.

Walking along the corridor, I realised some of the units have missing windows, presenting an opportunity for the voyeur in me to snap a couple of photos of the interiors.

The evening sun streams into a decorated living room complete with Roman columns, now vacated and abandoned.

I also decided to take another panoramic view of the scene in front of me, this time from the 14th floor and a slightly different angle.

Panoramic view taken from the 14th floor. Part of the Aljunied MRT Station can be seen on the left. Click on the image to view a larger version.

High shots done, I decided to go to level 5 where I used to stay. The parapet wall has regular openings guarded by a steel grille. I remember peering through them to see the happenings below when I was still a child.

A little grille at regular intervals along the parapet wall which I used to peer through as a kid.

Approaching my old home, I realised the unit which my ex-neighbour used to stay has large splats of black and red paint on the door – a sign that the debt collectors from the loan sharks has come. The current owners must have owed them money.

A vandalised front door - the work of the runners of loan sharks performed on units where the owners owed them money.

And this is the unit where I used to live in. #05-1142.

The unit which I stayed as a kid before we moved out to a bigger place later. A notice of possession can be seen posted on the door.

A view down the 5th floor corridor outside the unit where I lived.

Mission accomplished, I took my leave and walked past a residents’ corner. This must have been a new addition as it wasn’t there by the time we moved out.

This wasn't there when I still lived here. It was added later as a place for senior citizens to sit back, relax and chat.

And before I go, one last shot of the block.

Another view of the block from the car park. This is the side facing Block 19.

Farewell, Block 20. Thanks for the memories.

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Sugarloaf Rock

Posted on July 27, 2011 by ckng

Situated near the coastline of the Leeuwin-Naturiste National Park, the Sugarloaf Rock is said to be one of the most widely photographed seascapes in Western Australia. After a short drive from Bussel Jetty, Clarence and I arrived at a lookout point overlooking the rock formation close to sunset. At the same time, a storm is brewing, which made for dramatic skies.

As it was sunset and the rock itself was backlit, I had to employ the HDR technique here, this time shooting 9 bracketed shots. This gave me +/- 4EV of dynamic range to play with, and after tone mapping and tweaking in Photomatix 4.0, here is the result.

The sun sets behind the Sugarloaf Rock Formation in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, WA.

Meanwhile, the warm evening sun has also cast a warm light on the surrounding coast. Simply beautiful. Again, HDR was used to handle the wide dynamic range present in the scene.

The setting sun casts a warm glow on the rocks next to the hill hear the Sugarloaf Rock in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park in Yallingup, Western Australia.

The setting sun bathes the coastline of Yallingup, Western Australia in a warm orange glow.

 

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Busselton Jetty

Posted on July 25, 2011 by ckng

At almost 2km long, the Busselton Jetty in the town of Busselton, Western Australia is said to be the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. A long jetty was required as ships were unable to dock closer to the shore as the waters of Geographe Bay where it’s located is too shallow.

Clarence and I visited the jetty during our trip to Western Australia in March this year. After about 3 hours of driving, we finally arrived.

Other than being very long, the other distinctive feature of the jetty is the interpretive centre which is shaped like a boatshed. As it was midday when we arrived, the jetty side of the sky is rather bright, and in order to preserve detail, I employed the HDR technique of shooting it at multiple exposures and then processing them in Photomatix.

Busselton Jetty and interpretive centre

After paying the admission fee, we got onto the jetty itself, on which a railway also runs. Originally part of the railway line into Busselton from Bunbury, it now ferries tourists and visitors from the interpretive centre to the other end of the jetty.

The beginning of the very long jetty.

A train travelling on the tracks on Busselton Jetty.

Along the way, we see memorial plaques of those whose ashes have been cast from the jetty into the sea.

Memorial plaques

After a long walk, we finally reached the end of the jetty, where the Underwater Observatory (UWO) and a gift shop are located. However, we did not go into it as we were told there’s nothing much to see, and we don’t have much time as well.

The Underwater Observatory (UWO) and gift shop at the end of the Busselton Jetty.

After a short break, we took the long walk back.

A view towards the shore.

The lighthouse-like structure in the background used to be an entertainment centre called the “Nautical Lady Entertainment World”. Sadly, it has closed down for reasons unknown. Not sure if the building will remain and be re-purposed.

Nautical Lady Entertainment World

Back home, just for kicks, I decided to go wild with one of the HDR image sets which I’ve shot of the interpretive centre. Everyone seem to be crazy over the overly-processed HDR look, so I decided to try it for myself to see what I can get. After selecting the “Painterly” preset in Photomatix, I just pushed the first few sliders all the way to the max. This is the result which looked rather surreal. I am not quite a fan of this effect, but it sure is fun to play around once in a while.

Busselton Jetty gone wild

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A Walk on the Tracks – Pt. 2 (Buona Vista to Jalan Hang Jebat)

Posted on July 19, 2011 by ckng

This is a continuation of my previous post where I talked about a walk Boon Hwee and I took from Bukit Timah Railway Station to Jalan Hang Jebat. Before bidding farewell, Jerome gave us some pointers on what to look out for along the route as well as how to get there, and we set off to continue our walk.

A view of the railway tracks from an overhead bridge near Blk 10, Ghim Moh Road.

After a few false tries, we finally got back down to the tracks. A short walk brought us to the much talked about graffiti under the North Buona Vista Road flyover. There are a number of them painted onto the walls below the flyover, including this cute little creature.

Graffiti 1

Graffiti 2

Graffiti 3

Graffiti 4

As we exit the tunnel below the flyover, a MRT train travels across the now-defunct KTM railway lines in a blend of old and new.

A MRT train crosses over the now-disused KTM railway track.

A short distance further up, near Tanglin Halt Road, we came across this abandoned building that looked like a sort of a workers’ quarters for the KTM staff. There were signs of a concrete platform as well, so this is very likely part of the Tanglin Halt station. In fact, the name Tanglin Halt was derived by the presence of the railway station in the days of old (hence the world “Halt”).

Having been abandoned for possibly a very long time, it’s missing a wall and is overgrown with crawlers and grass.

Abandoned KTM building

We trudge through the grass to have a closer look at what’s inside.

A large pile of rubbish lies in what's probably the living room of the house.

The bedroom with an abandoned bed.

Abandoned chair outside the house. A creeper has started to grow on it.

Brightly coloured graffiti adorns the front wall.

Continuing our trek southwards, we come to a section of the tracks near Commonwealth Drive. It is rather intriguing to find a coconut tree in this part of Singapore, near a HDB estate. Usually we only see coconut trees in kampung areas which have all but disappeared from Singapore as we continue to progress and urbanise.

A coconut tree along the tracks near Commonwealth Drive.

Near the coconut tree is also a well used shortcut to/from Biopolis, and many people take this shortcut to get to work or to go home after work. A self-made sign was posted, warning people of the danger of crossing the (then live) railway tracks and serve as advertising as well. Helpfully there are also directions to a public toilet nearby! Such is the spirit of the community.

Self-made warning/advertising sign.

A woman takes the shortcut across the tracks towards Biopolis

Continuing down the stretch of greenery brings us to this green monster.

Green monster?

This also brings us to the Wessex area, where there are several colonial-style bungalows. I can imagine it would be very nice to live in such a place, surrounded by nature and with such a big expanse of land.

Colonial Bungalow

We took a short break from the now-sweltering at the coffeeshop at Commonwealth Green. True to its name, it’s surrounded by much greenery. You never find housing estates like this anymore.

Old flat in the aptly named Commonwealth Green. The estate is surrounded by lush greenery.

A walkway at Commonwealth Green estate running parallel to the railway track.

Continuing down the path, we go under the Portsdown Ave flyover.  I just had to take this photo of the 3 silhouetted figures walking into the light.

Into the light

At the end of the “tunnel” is a row of abandoned houses. Commonly seen in the old days in kampungs, these are a rare sight now. I wonder if they were built illegally by squatters when the railway land still belonged to Malaysia and later abandoned.

Abandoned house

And finally, we reached out end point where the Masjid (mosque) Hang Jebat is. Located along Jalan Hang Jebat near the railway, it’s a little nondescript mosque. Coconut trees complete the rustic feel. The muslim devotees must have had a sense of peace when praying there, being in such a green and quiet environment.

Masjid Hang Jebat. Below the signboard is a large board with the updated train schedules.

A view of one of the buildings in of Masjid Hang Jebat

Masjid Hang Jebat and the railway track.

And with that we decided to call it a day. After experiencing that much of the green corridor, I hope it’ll be preserved. Sadly, I don’t think the railway track will remain as they are to be returned to Malaysia, but at least hopefully the greenery will still be there.

Much of the stretch of railway land would have been closed to the public by now, apart from the 3km stretch from Rail Mall to Rifle Range Road. Do drop by and enjoy the scenery before that is closed as well. And don’t forget to support the Green Corridor proposal by liking them on their Facebook page.

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A Walk on the Tracks – Pt. 1 (Bukit Timah Railway Station to Ghim Moh)

Posted on July 17, 2011 by ckng

Shortly after the cessation of rail services between Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the announcement came that the entire railway will be opened to the public to explore until 17 July 2011. With no trains to watch out for, this is a good time to explore the track and the surroundings, so when I saw Jerome‘s Facebook posting organising such a walk last week, I jumped at the opportunity and also invited Boon Hwee, who has also been documenting the last days of the KTM railway to come along.

The walk was supposed to start from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, but Jerome, having walked the track with the Minister of State Brigadier-General Tan Chuan Jin, commented that it was rather tough and there wasn’t much to see until much further down the road, so we decided to start from Bukit Timah Railway Station and end at Ghim Moh instead.

We arrived to see the Bukit Timah Railway Station now fenced up in an ugly green fence.

The railway tracks and the now-defunct and fenced up Bukit Timah Railway Station in the early morning.

The northern signage of the station has also been removed, leaving a small plot of land with holes where the posts used to be.

This is what remains of the brick signboard for the Bukit Timah Railway Station

We first headed to the black truss bridge across Bukit Timah Road/Dunearn Road, which is now safe to explore without the danger of approaching trains. A group of foreigners were also there, taking a group shot of themselves.

A group of foreigners posing for a group photo at the black truss bridge over Bukit Timah Road.

On the way back to the station, we ran into a Mr. Kassim who has brought along an antique 4×5 view camera. He’s also got a DIY view camera which he has brought along to shoot the tracks.

Mr. Kassim showing how his view camera works.

An antique 4x5" view camera (top) and a DIY camera (bottom). The latter was built by a Mr. Kasim, an avid photographer.

From here, we started walking into the Green Corridor. Many people have also turned up to walk along the tracks and get close to nature before they are closed to the public after 18 July 2011.

Into the green corridor.

The now-abandoned signal boxes which have been gutted of the insides after 1 July 2011.

It’s the second time I’ve walked this stretch of the green corridor and I am still awed by the unspoilt and untouched nature surrounding it.

Tall trees

More tall trees

A cyclist rides along a dirt path running parallel to the railway track.

A fallen tree basks in the warm light from the rising sun.

A small stream which runs across the track via a culvert

A small brick culvert allows the stream to run across the track.

Further up is a man-made canal, also surrounded by lush greenery.

A man made canal in the lush greenery of the woods

The entire track is surrounded by lush greenery as well, which is why it’s been dubbed the “Green Corridor”.

The railway track flanked by lush greenery

We soon arrived at the Holland Road bridge, where one can get an elevated view of both sides of the green corridor.

A view of the northern end of the green corridor from the Holland Road bridge

A view of the southern end of the green corridor from the Holland Road bridge

Much has been said about the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and and a good example of this mantra can be seen further up, where disused sections of the railway track are used possibly as retainers to prevent landslides down the slope.

Used pieces of the track being used as retainers to hold up the soil on the slope.

We soon pass under another section of the Holland Road. I took a shot of the silhouetted figures crossing under it.

Light at the end of the tunnel

We eventually came close to our destination. A break in the fence lets us cross over to the Ghim Moh HDB estate. Some good samaritans have put up a stool and an inverted metal container to let people climb over easily.

Some good samaritans have setup an inverted metal container and a stool to facilitate climbing over the fence into the HDB estate.

From a nearby overhead bridge, one can get a nice view of the railway track among the HDB estate.

The railway track as seen from an overhead bridge near Blk 5, Ghim Moh Road.

The railway track running past a HDB estate

A short walk later we arrived at the Ghim Moh Market where we had our breakfast. We spotted these 2 women resting and chatting and Boon Hwee attemped to take a shot and they struck up a conversation. Apparently she has worked near the railway at the old Yeo Hiap Seng factory for a long time and has been walking on it for years, running to the side whenever she heard the horn of the train.

A woman passionately reminiscing the old days of working near the railway line.

We took a much deserved break and had breakfast at the hawker centre. Jerome, his family and the rest of the remaining folks decided to call it a day. As it was still early, Boon Hwee and I decided to continue to Jalan Hang Jebat after breakfast. I’ll leave that for another blog post.

By the time you read this, the entire railway line will be closed, except for a 3km section between Rail Mall and Rifle Range Road. If you have not been there, you have until the end of July to walk along this stretch of the railway. Don’t forget to support the Green Corridor proposal by “liking” them on their Facebook page!

 

 

 

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Shooting the Last Days of the KTM Railway

Posted on July 9, 2011 by ckng

I was not much of a railway person. The KTM railway in Singapore has been around for nearly 80 years, but like most people, I never thought much about it. I had vague memories of taking the train to Malaysia when I was a little kid but couldn’t remember much of it.

The quaint little railway station (which I never knew about until recently) and the iconic black truss bridge across Bukit Timah Railway – these were very close to Ngee Ann Polytechnic where I spent three years studying. I would pass the bridge every day on the way to and from the polytechnic, but never ventured to explore the vicinity.

The black truss bridge across Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road, as seen from the Bukit Timah Railway Station side.

When the announcement came last year that the railway land would be returned to Singapore as part of a land-swop deal with Malaysia, I made a mental note to go visit Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, the only train station I knew in Singapore. Somehow when I visited it this April to shoot, somehow it didn’t inspire me.

Things changed when Gilbert alerted me of a walk organised by Eugene from the “We Support the Green Corridor” Facebook page and led by Ms Margie Hall of the Nature Society of Singapore. That was when I discovered the quaint Bukit Timah Railway Station which I never knew existed. Somehow the quaint-ness appealed to me more than the grander art-deco inspired Tanjong Pagar Station. There were no longer passenger embarkation and disembarkation at this station since 1993, and from then until its closure it only functioned as a passing loop station where the practice of token key exchange still took place.

The quaint red-brick Bukit Timah Railway Station

The station and the area surrounding it appears to be trapped in time. We were intrigued by the old school station and the equipment, and spent some time talking to the station master Mr. Hashim about how everything worked. Track changes and signal lights were mechanically operated by the levers in the signal room, linked by a system of chains, pulleys and levers. By the time we bid farewell, the rest of the participants of the walk were far, far ahead of us.

Mr. Hashim, the station master

The many old school signal levers in the signal control room.

The system of pulleys and chains used to control the tracks and signal lights further up.

Trekking along, I was also attracted by the unspoilt greenery surrounding the railway track. There was a sense of tranquility and peace as we made our way forward – a big contrast to the noise that now make our modern living environment. I fully appreciate why there is so much interest and lobbying to preserve the whole stretch as a continuous green corridor after 1 July 2011, when the land is finally handed back to Singapore.

After the walk that day, I decided to return to the station to get more shots, as well as to photograph the now-defunct token exchange, which we missed on the first visit. It’s on this trip that we met the very friendly (and now famous) station master, Mr. Atan Ahmad. He was so popular with the visitors that they have setup a Facebook page for him, administered by his son.

Station Master Mr. Atan hands over the token key to the worker of an incoming train.

I have also read more about the railway and the level crossings (something which I have also not seen in action previously) by prominent bloggers such as Jerome Lim and Tan Kar Gee and decided to walk to the Bukit Panjang Level Crossing after shooting the station. We were lucky to finally see it in action.

A train travels across Choa Chu Kang Road at the Bukit Panjang level crossing, the widest in Singapore.

We also joined another walk by Jerome the following week where he basically covered the same track, but we had the benefit of him telling us more about the locations as well as the fortune of having several trains passing for us to photograph.

A train passes through an area of lush greenery after the Hillview Road girder bridge

By then I was fully into the railway thing and thought my collection wouldn’t be complete without a few trips to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, despite it having failed to inspire me on my earlier trip. Of course, with less than a month before closure, hordes of people have descended upon it. Perhaps it’s the increased activity, or the urgency of wanting to shoot something before it disappears altogether, I managed to get good shots of the place and the people within. I also explored the area surrounding it, venturing near the old and new signal houses as well as getting near the depot.

The art-deco style Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Visitors taking photographs at the departure platform

Making a cup of teh tarik

The old train depot at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station forms a stark contrast to the new buildings in the background.

Having gone so deep into covering the last days of the KTM railway, I felt I had to shoot something on the last day of operations as well so as to complete the collection. Gilbert was with me to capture the momentous moment on that day too. Not having found out enough about the timings, we completely missed the last train driven by the Sultan of Johor but at least we caught the last passenger train leaving as well as the locomotive used by the sultan as it was being prepared.

The last passenger train departs from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station at 10:30pm as bystanders wave to the passengers.

This was supposed to be the last train driven by the Sultan of Johor out of Singapore.

And that ended my short and memorable encounter with the KTM railway. I am glad to have discovered and captured it for posterity through my photos and blog posts. Thank you, Gilbert for alerting me to the walk and helping me discover the Bukit Timah Railway Station. And thanks to Eugene for organising the series of walks and to Jerome and Margie Hall for leading the walks. They have been an eye opener. I sure hope the green corridor proposal will be successful.

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