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The revamped Singapore History Gallery
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Showing posts with label Choa Chu Kang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Choa Chu Kang. Show all posts
Dec 14, 2012
Gunung Pulai from Singapore Again
Jun 25, 2011
Countdown to 30 June - My Last Affair at Choa Chu Kang
The light lunch at Rail Mall before I chiong the crossings was a deliberate decision on my part. After Hillview Bridge where the race would start, there was the crossing at Gombak before reaching Ten Mile Junction. That I would have another affair at Ten Mile, two years after the previous one, was no coincidence, for at 1300 hrs Ekspres Sinaran Selatan
Nov 29, 2010
How did Bishan Junction 8 get its name?
Source: Streetdirectory.com
The other day I was reading my Facebook news feed when I learnt from yg on his wall that Sheng Shiong was having a closing down sale in 10th Mile Junction before its last day on 25 Nov. In case you do not know, the quite lifeless 10th Mile Junction would be developed into another concept mall leveraging on the railway history of the area and rebranded Junction 10. As if to remind us of the scarcity of land, 338 SOHO apartments would be built above the commercial podium.
Oct 9, 2010
2nd Shot: The Last Tiger of Singapore
Since I was in school, this photo of a tiger and its hunters along a country road is a familiar one in textbooks and references on local history, used to illustrate the early days when Singapore was plagued by tiger menace. A signpost in the photo tells us it was taken at Choa Chu Kang Village. In fact if you step into Choa Chu Kang Library today, you can see it proudly displayed as a "pictorial artifact" of the new town (see here). Before the library was renovated it was displayed even more prominently, behind the information counter. After I started this blog, I took a closer look at the photo and asked myself - would I be able to do a second shot?
Oct 28, 2009
Sep 4, 2009
Beautiful Landscape at Choa Chu Kang
Now, this is a topic which yg and seen this scene that might not have blogged about.
I won't tell you where exactly is this place. If you have served your time, this place should not be unfamiliar.
A gigantic residential complex sprawling a few neighborhoods, the units collectively set a record of having the shortest TOP to En-Bloc time. 15 years to be exact.
Pictures were taken in October 2008. As you are reading this, old units are coming under the wrecking ball and new units are built.
This shall be my blog contribution for the 7th month.
See more places. Live more life.
Addendum:
This was not meant to be a quiz, but it somehow turned out that way. As requested by Chun See, here's a map of the place. Don't be misled by the crosshair, the location should be beside the cemetery office. But weird, my photo shows the street sign as 'Chinese Cemetery Path 7', but there is no such road in the street directory! I'm spooked! Maybe I'm seeing double during the 7th month, not a good sign.
Perhaps I should throw an ad-hoc quiz this time. Why was I in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery? Not there to ask for 4-D, not there to find a 'good brother' (好兄弟), and of course not there to investigate the soil condition.
Answer will be revealed in a future 'second shot' blog post. Stay tuned. :)
Apr 4, 2009
Gunung Pulai from Yew Tee
My amazing red dot quiz 2 was ‘brutally attacked’ by oldies trying to guess the location where the mountain can be seen in such proximity. I hope they had much agony fun deducing the location from clues in the photo.
So far, Peter, yg, Chun See and Keith have got the answer correct in one way or another, but nobody scored full marks. Victor did not officially take part; he must have been too busy shooting himself in the mirror.
Peter made the first breakthrough by recognizing the foreground as SAF area. The place is labelled Kranji Camp (at Lorong Bistari) on my street directory. His closest guess was the ‘provost in Kranji’. He could have meant Mowbray Camp or Kranji Camp at Lorong Kebasi.
yj adopted a different strategy. He tackled the mountain instead. He hit the target by correctly identifying Gunung Pulai. But he didn’t answer the question which was about identifying my location. His latest guess was ‘Choa Chu Kang’ but I was looking for ‘Yew Tee’. Yew Tee today is at Choa Chu Kang North, separated by KJE from Choa Chu Kang housing estate.
Chun See was the first to blurt out Choa Chu Kang. He did it without identifying the SAF area (Kranji Camp) or the mountain (Gunung Pulai). The quiz would have ended if I left it at that. But I was waiting for the magic keyword. Not open sesame but Yew Tee.
Keith used yet another approach. He deduced the location from the golf course. I cannot spot the golf course in the photo but from my position, I don’t think Warren Country Club can be seen. His other guess, Kranji Country Club (more accurately Kranji Sanctuary Golf Club) may be right.
View Larger Map
From Yew Tee to Gunung Pulai: Straight line denotes light of sight to the mountain.
The following photos were taken from Yew Tee block 679 and 680.
(I have actually blogged about Gunung Pulai in my previous article.)
So far, Peter, yg, Chun See and Keith have got the answer correct in one way or another, but nobody scored full marks. Victor did not officially take part; he must have been too busy shooting himself in the mirror.
Peter made the first breakthrough by recognizing the foreground as SAF area. The place is labelled Kranji Camp (at Lorong Bistari) on my street directory. His closest guess was the ‘provost in Kranji’. He could have meant Mowbray Camp or Kranji Camp at Lorong Kebasi.
yj adopted a different strategy. He tackled the mountain instead. He hit the target by correctly identifying Gunung Pulai. But he didn’t answer the question which was about identifying my location. His latest guess was ‘Choa Chu Kang’ but I was looking for ‘Yew Tee’. Yew Tee today is at Choa Chu Kang North, separated by KJE from Choa Chu Kang housing estate.
Chun See was the first to blurt out Choa Chu Kang. He did it without identifying the SAF area (Kranji Camp) or the mountain (Gunung Pulai). The quiz would have ended if I left it at that. But I was waiting for the magic keyword. Not open sesame but Yew Tee.
Keith used yet another approach. He deduced the location from the golf course. I cannot spot the golf course in the photo but from my position, I don’t think Warren Country Club can be seen. His other guess, Kranji Country Club (more accurately Kranji Sanctuary Golf Club) may be right.
View Larger Map
From Yew Tee to Gunung Pulai: Straight line denotes light of sight to the mountain.
The following photos were taken from Yew Tee block 679 and 680.
Original quiz photo taken from block 679. Foreground shows Kranji Camp.
View from block 680. Sungei Kadut Canal on right. Do not be fooled by its smaller appearance here. The mountain looks larger in real life when viewed from the block.
School of Logistics/Combat Service Support at Kranji Camp. You can see both names in the picture.
(I have actually blogged about Gunung Pulai in my previous article.)
Oct 21, 2008
Choa Chu Kang Road, Shopping Center, Mystery
What does the three have in common? Let me elaborate.
After my trainspotting at 10 miles Junction, I trudged my way to (Old) Keat Hong Camp at Choa Chu Kang Ave. 1 for another heritage mission. At Choa Chu Kang Way, just before the left turn into Ave. 1, something on the big field caught my eye ....
The old Keat Hong Camp lies behind the fence on the left. Palm Gardens on the right.
This could be it, I told myself.
Could be what?
If you stand at the road bend beside our object of interest, you'd see the two lanes merging and Ave.1 changing from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway.
Left: In the direction of old Keat Hong Camp. The road becomes a single carriageway after the bend, the double white lines changing to a single white line.
Right: Palm Gardens on the left. The two lanes merge just before the bend.
Let's take a closer look at our object of interest. The place is state land now and dumping and burning are not allowed. However I found evidence of burning - from the seventh month?
Left: State Land - no dumping, no burning. By order, HDB.
Right: Did somebody disobey the no burning order?
Our object of interest in all its splendor. Erm, splendor?
Let's move on. No, I did not make a mistake. I really mean - let's move on.
The next destination was not unexpected like the first. You see, while looking at the street directory, I saw a Keat Hong Shopping Center beside Ave. 1. I thought, wah, a shopping center at the fringe of the new town. Maybe it would be like the one at Holland Village. A good place to enjoy the aircon. A good place to buy a drink. A good place to rest the legs.
That was during planning.
Imagine my excitement turning into disappointment upon seeing the real thing.
Let me introduce you .... Keat Hong Shopping Center! The building behind is called - unabashedly - Choa Chu Kang Market.
We have come to the last of the trio. The mystery, of which there are actually two.
The first is our object of interest. It looks like a road, or what used to be a road. The road should be Choa Chu Kang Road. It is quite sad as this once famous road exists only between Teck Whye LRT Station and Ten Mile Junction today, widened, so the stretch doesn't look original. Ironically the stretch that looks original, at Tengah, is not Choa Chu Kang Road but Old Choa Chu Kang Road. So the new has usurped the old and original.
The second is Choa Chu Kang Road as it passed through the old Keat Hong Camp I. During my search for the artillery gun, I did a (mid 1960s) map overlay on Google Earth. The overlay showed the road passing through the present camp compound. This means the 1960s Choa Chu Kang Road did not follow the alignment of Choa Chu Kang Ave. 1 outside Keat Hong Camp I. This is not altogether inconceivable as there are no buildings along the suggested path of the road. So 40 years ago, the road might have ran inside the camp. Or maybe the camp was built after that. Or maybe the camp was smaller in the past. Do you happen to know the answer?
After my trainspotting at 10 miles Junction, I trudged my way to (Old) Keat Hong Camp at Choa Chu Kang Ave. 1 for another heritage mission. At Choa Chu Kang Way, just before the left turn into Ave. 1, something on the big field caught my eye ....
The old Keat Hong Camp lies behind the fence on the left. Palm Gardens on the right.
This could be it, I told myself.
Could be what?
If you stand at the road bend beside our object of interest, you'd see the two lanes merging and Ave.1 changing from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway.
Left: In the direction of old Keat Hong Camp. The road becomes a single carriageway after the bend, the double white lines changing to a single white line.
Right: Palm Gardens on the left. The two lanes merge just before the bend.
Let's take a closer look at our object of interest. The place is state land now and dumping and burning are not allowed. However I found evidence of burning - from the seventh month?
Left: State Land - no dumping, no burning. By order, HDB.
Right: Did somebody disobey the no burning order?
Our object of interest in all its splendor. Erm, splendor?
Let's move on. No, I did not make a mistake. I really mean - let's move on.
The next destination was not unexpected like the first. You see, while looking at the street directory, I saw a Keat Hong Shopping Center beside Ave. 1. I thought, wah, a shopping center at the fringe of the new town. Maybe it would be like the one at Holland Village. A good place to enjoy the aircon. A good place to buy a drink. A good place to rest the legs.
That was during planning.
Imagine my excitement turning into disappointment upon seeing the real thing.
Let me introduce you .... Keat Hong Shopping Center! The building behind is called - unabashedly - Choa Chu Kang Market.
We have come to the last of the trio. The mystery, of which there are actually two.
The first is our object of interest. It looks like a road, or what used to be a road. The road should be Choa Chu Kang Road. It is quite sad as this once famous road exists only between Teck Whye LRT Station and Ten Mile Junction today, widened, so the stretch doesn't look original. Ironically the stretch that looks original, at Tengah, is not Choa Chu Kang Road but Old Choa Chu Kang Road. So the new has usurped the old and original.
The second is Choa Chu Kang Road as it passed through the old Keat Hong Camp I. During my search for the artillery gun, I did a (mid 1960s) map overlay on Google Earth. The overlay showed the road passing through the present camp compound. This means the 1960s Choa Chu Kang Road did not follow the alignment of Choa Chu Kang Ave. 1 outside Keat Hong Camp I. This is not altogether inconceivable as there are no buildings along the suggested path of the road. So 40 years ago, the road might have ran inside the camp. Or maybe the camp was built after that. Or maybe the camp was smaller in the past. Do you happen to know the answer?
Sep 22, 2008
My First Train Spotting Experience
(My first train spotting on 200908. I hope the readers don't find it too mushy.)
There is no mistake. I'm going back.
You see, last Saturday while executing my missions, I saw a most magnificent train to travel past Ten Miles Junction.
The time was 5:03pm.
Moments before, I was still wondering whether a train would appear. They don't appear every few minutes like the MRT or LRT and I consider myself lucky if one is spotted.
Then .... (substitute the sound of train approaching). Before I knew it, she was moving horizontally across my eyes.
I was too stunned to take out my camera.
From that day, I began to ask around frantically. A bit exaggerated, but I did attempt to find out more about the train. From email correspondence with railway enthusiasts, I learnt that it was a freight train. The train can be described as a flatbed wagon or flatcar, or what I call long trolley on wheels. But there was no freight on board. The locomotive was pulling a never-ending series of flatbeds with nothing on top. It was my first time seeing such a train. Normally the locomotive will be pulling passenger compartments or boxcars and if you are too used to seeing MRT trains on viaducts like me, you'd forget a train can be much much longer.
I have to find her again. Not even the cars and babes from Super Import Nights can deter me.
I took a gamble. Without consulting any railway enthusiast or website, I assumed the train would come again next Saturday at the same time. If not, I would return from Choa Chu Kang a dejected person. The mission would have failed and this blog would not be written.
My destination: Ten Miles Junction. The map shows the railway line crossing over the LRT line and under Choa Chu Kang Road. This is misleading. The LRT line is elevated and the railway track crosses the road as a level crossing.
At 4:40pm I was pressed for time. No proper planning was done before the trip and I reached Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange with the impression there would be many buses to Ten Miles Junction. I couldn't be more wrong. There were only two and they would only come few minutes later.
I panicked. Should I hail a cab? Or take a bus from outside the interchange? Precious seconds ticked by. I knew I was doomed. Even if a bus were to come now, I might not reach there before the train.
The wait had become excruciating. Once again, precious seconds ticked by. The train still had not appeared.
At the interchange, a bus - service 67 - arrived at the berth, before time. I hopped onto it and hoped for the best of luck. I alighted at Phoenix LRT Station around 4:55pm. Phew.
I thought I would be late, but the train, if she were to come, snatched the honour. Three minutes past five. That was when she appeared at the same time one week before. I planned to give her 15 minutes grace. Then fifteen minutes past five. Was she going to come?
Waiting for her was not fun. I looked like a fool loitering above the canal. Instead of flowers, I had brought a camera.
The pavement had more than a few people walking. Plus there was a female security guard or car park attendant sitting nearby. I felt like a terrorist in her eyes, so I ensured the LRT viaduct pillar stood between us. However I could do nothing for the people streaming past me. What did they think I was doing, then?
To kill the boredom, I started imagining things. Looking at the crossing barriers pointing to the sky I thought, what if it goes down with a car just below? Will the windscreen get smashed or will the barrier get dented, in the event it is not a car but a truck?
Choa Chu Kang Level Crossing. For vehicles flouting traffic rules by stopping inside the yellow box, what if the barrier on the right goes down at this time?
I tried to kill time by doing other things - loitered around, stared at the dirty canal water, flipped my street directory (I think so), looked at my watch; every now and then stealing a glance at the barrier.
The barrier was the only clue to a train approaching. I dared not stand near the barrier, for fear that in my excitement of an approaching train, I would miss the barrier coming down on me. Neither was it a good idea to wait on the track - the pedestrians and vehicle drivers would find me idiotic or suicidal. Now I wonder what do real train spotters use to scan for approaching trains? A binoculars? A telescope?
Grace period over. No sight of the train. She stood me up. But wait, did she ever promise to come again next Saturday, at the same time?
I left the spot in disappointment. I still harbored the thought of seeing her, so I left the spot but not the place. I skirted around the mall to the heavy vehicle park on the other side, to check out the railway bridge (over the canal) from that position. I saw the bridge last Saturday - the ugliest railway bridge that I've seen in Singapore.
By this time, the mission was already a failure. Even if she were to arrive, I would not be prepared. With no clue from the barrier, the train would just move across unexpectedly like last Saturday. Worse, she might arrive just when I am in front of the mall.
The bridge is ugly all right, regardless of your position from it.
At the heavy vehicle park, the stretch of railway was visible behind the canal. As expected, no sight of the train. I had gave up by then; I was there just to look at the bridge.
The ugly bridge did not make me stay for long, so I walked back to my original position, not to wait for her but to leave the place altogether. Along the way, I shot the row of shophouses opposite Ten Miles Junction. That activity did not take me more than a few seconds. In fact I took only two pictures, from the side of the mall.
At the bend where Woodland Road turns into Choa Chu Kang Road, I turned to my right.
A short distance away was the level crossing, with the familiar sight of barriers and vehicles stopping and moving off, taking their cue from the traffic lights at the junction of Woodlands/Choa Chu Kang Road.
The vehicles were not moving this time; neither did they stop inside the yellow box but parked neatly behind it, like waiting for something to happen.
The barrier was down.
My mind yelled the four letter word (commonly associated with the latrine).
In that split-second, the legs began to take flight, the New Balance pounding the ground to achieve even faster speed.
The arms did a quick draw, one arm tearing the flap off the messenger bag, the other fishing the weapon out of it. The fingers, not idle, but twirling the dial to video mode.
The legs braked at the location where I stood few minutes before. This time, I saw her approaching from the distance.
Still huffing and panting nonetheless, I pressed the shoot button.
Mission accomplished!
Here is the video from my first train spotting mission. As you will see, the camera rocked quite violently during the first few seconds due to the race to reach the crossing before the train.
Also, to make the video more original, I challenge the reader to guess the number of flatcars towed by the locomotive. Then watch, as the video counts the flatcars one by one to arrive at the answer.
Enjoy!
Initial Encounter
There is no mistake. I'm going back.
You see, last Saturday while executing my missions, I saw a most magnificent train to travel past Ten Miles Junction.
The time was 5:03pm.
Moments before, I was still wondering whether a train would appear. They don't appear every few minutes like the MRT or LRT and I consider myself lucky if one is spotted.
Then .... (substitute the sound of train approaching). Before I knew it, she was moving horizontally across my eyes.
I was too stunned to take out my camera.
**********
Missing Her
From that day, I began to ask around frantically. A bit exaggerated, but I did attempt to find out more about the train. From email correspondence with railway enthusiasts, I learnt that it was a freight train. The train can be described as a flatbed wagon or flatcar, or what I call long trolley on wheels. But there was no freight on board. The locomotive was pulling a never-ending series of flatbeds with nothing on top. It was my first time seeing such a train. Normally the locomotive will be pulling passenger compartments or boxcars and if you are too used to seeing MRT trains on viaducts like me, you'd forget a train can be much much longer.
I have to find her again. Not even the cars and babes from Super Import Nights can deter me.
**********
The Mission
I took a gamble. Without consulting any railway enthusiast or website, I assumed the train would come again next Saturday at the same time. If not, I would return from Choa Chu Kang a dejected person. The mission would have failed and this blog would not be written.
My destination: Ten Miles Junction. The map shows the railway line crossing over the LRT line and under Choa Chu Kang Road. This is misleading. The LRT line is elevated and the railway track crosses the road as a level crossing.**********
Where is the Bus?
At 4:40pm I was pressed for time. No proper planning was done before the trip and I reached Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange with the impression there would be many buses to Ten Miles Junction. I couldn't be more wrong. There were only two and they would only come few minutes later.
I panicked. Should I hail a cab? Or take a bus from outside the interchange? Precious seconds ticked by. I knew I was doomed. Even if a bus were to come now, I might not reach there before the train.
**********
A Long Wait
The wait had become excruciating. Once again, precious seconds ticked by. The train still had not appeared.
At the interchange, a bus - service 67 - arrived at the berth, before time. I hopped onto it and hoped for the best of luck. I alighted at Phoenix LRT Station around 4:55pm. Phew.
I thought I would be late, but the train, if she were to come, snatched the honour. Three minutes past five. That was when she appeared at the same time one week before. I planned to give her 15 minutes grace. Then fifteen minutes past five. Was she going to come?
Waiting for her was not fun. I looked like a fool loitering above the canal. Instead of flowers, I had brought a camera.
The pavement had more than a few people walking. Plus there was a female security guard or car park attendant sitting nearby. I felt like a terrorist in her eyes, so I ensured the LRT viaduct pillar stood between us. However I could do nothing for the people streaming past me. What did they think I was doing, then?
To kill the boredom, I started imagining things. Looking at the crossing barriers pointing to the sky I thought, what if it goes down with a car just below? Will the windscreen get smashed or will the barrier get dented, in the event it is not a car but a truck?
Choa Chu Kang Level Crossing. For vehicles flouting traffic rules by stopping inside the yellow box, what if the barrier on the right goes down at this time?
I tried to kill time by doing other things - loitered around, stared at the dirty canal water, flipped my street directory (I think so), looked at my watch; every now and then stealing a glance at the barrier.
The barrier was the only clue to a train approaching. I dared not stand near the barrier, for fear that in my excitement of an approaching train, I would miss the barrier coming down on me. Neither was it a good idea to wait on the track - the pedestrians and vehicle drivers would find me idiotic or suicidal. Now I wonder what do real train spotters use to scan for approaching trains? A binoculars? A telescope?
Grace period over. No sight of the train. She stood me up. But wait, did she ever promise to come again next Saturday, at the same time?
I left the spot in disappointment. I still harbored the thought of seeing her, so I left the spot but not the place. I skirted around the mall to the heavy vehicle park on the other side, to check out the railway bridge (over the canal) from that position. I saw the bridge last Saturday - the ugliest railway bridge that I've seen in Singapore.
By this time, the mission was already a failure. Even if she were to arrive, I would not be prepared. With no clue from the barrier, the train would just move across unexpectedly like last Saturday. Worse, she might arrive just when I am in front of the mall.
**********
The Diversion
The bridge is ugly all right, regardless of your position from it.
At the heavy vehicle park, the stretch of railway was visible behind the canal. As expected, no sight of the train. I had gave up by then; I was there just to look at the bridge.
The ugly bridge did not make me stay for long, so I walked back to my original position, not to wait for her but to leave the place altogether. Along the way, I shot the row of shophouses opposite Ten Miles Junction. That activity did not take me more than a few seconds. In fact I took only two pictures, from the side of the mall.
At the bend where Woodland Road turns into Choa Chu Kang Road, I turned to my right.
A short distance away was the level crossing, with the familiar sight of barriers and vehicles stopping and moving off, taking their cue from the traffic lights at the junction of Woodlands/Choa Chu Kang Road.
The vehicles were not moving this time; neither did they stop inside the yellow box but parked neatly behind it, like waiting for something to happen.
The barrier was down.
**********
The Finale
My mind yelled the four letter word (commonly associated with the latrine).
In that split-second, the legs began to take flight, the New Balance pounding the ground to achieve even faster speed.
The arms did a quick draw, one arm tearing the flap off the messenger bag, the other fishing the weapon out of it. The fingers, not idle, but twirling the dial to video mode.
The legs braked at the location where I stood few minutes before. This time, I saw her approaching from the distance.
Still huffing and panting nonetheless, I pressed the shoot button.
Mission accomplished!
**********
The Video
Here is the video from my first train spotting mission. As you will see, the camera rocked quite violently during the first few seconds due to the race to reach the crossing before the train.
Also, to make the video more original, I challenge the reader to guess the number of flatcars towed by the locomotive. Then watch, as the video counts the flatcars one by one to arrive at the answer.
Enjoy!
