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Sign board at the Tapah Road railway station

Semaphore signals at the Tapah Road station. Besides giving the go ahead signal to in coming trains to pass, these signals with the red side arm facoing the driver, also tell the driver which track the train has been diverted to.

Kerosene lamps are used to light up semaphore signals at night

Validating card tickets with a date-stamping machine at Malim Nawar station, one of the very few stations in Malaysia still dispensing such tickets.

Trolak station

Model Of New Railway Station

COMING TO A CLOSE ... N.S. Maniam, gatekeeper at the Malim Nawar station, closing the gate to vehicle trafffic to allow a train to pass. Such level crossings will become a thing of the past as the double-tracking project requires all of them to be replaced with bridge or underpasses.

On track to dual lines
EVERY day for the past 11 years, Abdul Aziz Mohd Nor has been going about his duties at the tiny Trolak railway station in Perak with the same sense of responsibility and dedication as his first day at work as station master.

He follows diligently every detail of the complicated procedure for receiving and sending off trains at his station, which lies on the West Coast trunk line just about midway between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

These include ensuring that his station is safe for the train to come in, that the proper tracks have been engaged, and that permission has been obtained from the subsequent station before a train is allowed to leave his station.

And just before pulling the signal levers which give permission for a train to enter his station, Abdul Aziz, 49, has to make sure that the nearby level crossing gate is closed to traffic.

"It is important that everything is done correctly. Any mistake will result in delays or, worse, accidents," he says just before exerting strength to pull the heavy lever for the outermost signal.

Abdul Aziz’s daily routine, however, will soon come to an end as Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) embarks on its Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking and electrification project. After existing for close to a century, Trolak station will be no more.

The RM4.5bil project, which began early this year, will involve the construction of a parallel track to the existing 180km single line, as well as overhead electric cables to feed power to electric trains between the two points.

When completed in 2004, trains will run between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh at greater speeds and frequency, cutting journey time from over four hours to about two. KTM will also extend its urban commuter train service, now confined to the Klang Valley, to Tanjung Malim in Perak.

The current project will not be the end. The government has also approved double-tracking to Padang Besar on the Thai border, as well as southwards to Johor Baru.

While the benefits of the project are obvious and certainly most welcomed, those with a soft spot for the railways cannot help but feel sad that many of KTM’s old traditions and characteristics will disappear.

Semaphore signals - those metal blades or - arms - on high poles which drop 45 degrees to allow trains to pass - will be replaced with "colour light" signals which do not look any different from road traffic lights.

Amazingly, some of these semaphore signals are still lit by kerosene lamps. Porters climb up the signal poles to mount the lamps behind green and red filters (called "spectacles") at the "shoulder" of each arm. The lamps are so wind-resistant that no storm can snuff the flames out. Undisturbed, they can burn for a week, a porter says.

Manual signalbox levers, now a common sight at stations north of Rawang, will also go, replaced by modern electrically-run systems where tracks can be shunted at the mere touch of a button.

Also, the fascinating method of controlling train movement with tokens will be phased out and replaced with a sophisticated computerised train control system. Invented by the British to handle two-way traffic on single lines, the token system is still used on the West Coast line north of Malim Nawar, as well as on the East Coast line.

With modernisation, everything from signals to shuntings will be centrally-controlled in Kuala Lumpur.

More significantly, the project will see all old railway stations along the way replaced with new ones and halts of similar "generic" designs. Most of the existing stations and other structures will be demolished.

Thirteen stations will be built to replace the 16 now in operation. Trolak and four other stations (Ulu Yam, Kalumpang, Bidor and Malim Nawar) will be closed permanently, while new stations will be built at Batang Kali and Rasa.

Many of these stations are handsome timber structures which date from the days when the tracks for this portion of the West Coast trunk line were first laid between 1893 and 1903. This makes many of them over a century old.

Quaint and interesting features can be found everywhere. Sungkai and Malim Nawar still have old-style ticket windows (in fact, Malim Nawar even has old-style cardboard tickets!), while the Tanjung Malim and Tapah Road stations have ornate cast-iron pedestrian bridges linking their platforms.

Tapah Road and Ipoh have signalbox cabins, probably the most unique of structures belonging to the railways.

Then there are concrete stations. Pretty Serendah station, a solid building with bay windows and cast-iron pillars, has a similar design to the old Rawang and Sungai Buloh stations which were demolished in the early 1990s to make way for double-tracking in the Klang Valley, says architect Kamal Hussin Abdul Hamid, who did a thesis on the architecture of railway stations between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

Unfortunately, the Serendah station will face a fate similar to the other two as it has to make way for the project.

Thankfully, the majestic Ipoh railway station will be preserved and has been earmarked for conservation.

The historical value of these stations is obvious. The railway played a very important part in the development of the country and is very much part of our history and heritage," says Paiman Keromo, antiquities director of the Museums and Antiquities Depart-ment. The railways in fact preceded roads as a means of transport in peninsular Malaysia during the early days of the 20th century.

On a more personal note, Kamal Hussin says "these stations were probably the second most visited place in a small town, after the local kedai kopi.

"The station was where journeys began and ended for small-town folk. For someone who has left a small town and done good, the railway station will always bring back memories when he or she returns to town," he adds.

"The station was our window to the world," says a former resident of the one-street town of Malim Nawar.

To the station masters, these buildings are virtually their homes.

"Of course I have grown very attached to it. The station is like my own house," says Trolak station master Abdul Aziz.

Fortunately, not all will be lost. Veritas Architects, the project designer, says five stations - Kuala Kubu Road, Tanjung Malim, Tapah Road, Kampar and Batu Gajah - will be spared the demolition ball. They will no longer be used as railway stations and will be handed over to the Museums and Antiquities Depart-ment, says Veritas senior partner David Hashim.

Paiman, however, says no official decision has been made as to what will become of the five stations.

His department has carried out preliminary documentation on all the stations, including Ipoh. However, funding and staffing issues may prevent further detailed documentation which he says should follow.

David believes it makes sense to replace these old stations with new ones. "I would have been disappointed if I was told to incorporate the old stations into the new designs."

He explains: "Train travel should be taken in its entirety. It would be rather incongruous to have these old timber stations with new trains. It is almost like getting train conductors on these modern trains to don 18th-century uniforms. This would trivialise the old."

A more functional reason is that the new stations have to be almost three times the size of the present ones due to the expected increase in passenger volume. More importantly, they will have modern facilities (toilets are specifically mentioned by David, as most stations now only have outhouses), including those which are disabled-friendly.

"Some portions of the old track have to be realigned, resulting in the old stations being abandoned," says Bhaskaran Pillai, DRB-Hicom Bhd group director for special projects, and the person overseeing the Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking and electrification project.

One concern is whether these "LRT station-like" structures will fit in well in rural Malaysia.

"These stations are going to look totally out of place in small towns like Tapah Road or Behrang," says Malaysian Heritage Trust executive director Elizabeth Cardosa. "Do we really need smaller versions of KL Sentral throughout the country? A passenger may not even feel that he has left KL Sentral as every station would look like an extension of it."

Some may argue that the new design could usher in development. To that, Cardosa replies: "I think there is a lot more to bringing in development than just putting up modern-looking structures in these small towns."

Although he is one of those who find the new design acceptable, Kamal Hussin still feels sorry that most of the old structures will go. Like many others, he has had to reconcile preservation with progress. "There will have to be some sacrifice. But I believe if one has to sacrifice something old and replace it with something new, one has to make sure that the new is worthy to take the place of the old," he says.

Whether it is so in this case will be for those living in small towns along the railway line to ultimately discover.

Clash of old and new
LOCATED at the western edge of town, the majestic Ipoh railway station provides a beautiful backdrop to the colonial quarter of the Perak capital.

Built in 1917, the Ipoh station ranks second in terms of railway architectural grandeur, after Kuala Lumpur’s landmark railway station.

Both stations share the same architect, A.R. Hubback, which explains their similar Moorish designs featuring domes and arches.

The most imposing part of the Ipoh station is the concrete three-storey building which houses the railway administrative offices, as well as the Majestic Station Hotel, which occupies the mezzanine and upper floors.

Behind the station building is a platform area. Structurally distinct from the main building, this area is spacious and has been designed to be functional.

Recognising its historic value, the station will undergo refurbishment and conservation under Keretapi Tanah Melayu’s (KTM) Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking project which is expected to be completed by 2004.

Most of the work will be done to the platform area. As for the main station building, the current scope of work will only result in it getting a new coat of paint as well as some minor repair work.

The platform area will get a new roof which will span two new platforms. The present tracks and platforms will also be redesigned, resulting in them being further away from the station building.

"The roof design is ultra-modern, adopting the shape of a curve," says Veritas Architects senior partner David Hashim. The firm is responsible for refurbishing the Ipoh station and designing all new stations under the double-tracking project.

Adhering to a basic rule of conservation, the new roof will not come into direct contact with the old station building. It will instead be supported by cables attached to a series of pillars rising from the platforms. The design, however, has not gone down well with everyone, especially conservationists.

At a recent seminar held in Ipoh on the proposed design, representatives from the Malaysian Heritage Trust and the Museums and Antiquities Department voiced their reservations about the design.

"The roof design is incongruous and will result in it over-dominating the old station building," says Malaysian Heritage Trust executive director Elizabeth Cardosa. The proportions of the old building, she adds, have not been carried through in the new design and the resulting roof will be overwhelming.

The Museums and Antiquities Department’s antiquities director Paiman Keromo concurs, saying the new design seems unsuitable for the old station.

David, however, strongly defends his design. "It would be a good contrast to the old building, giving the old part its full impact. I feel it will give it further dignity." He adds that certain suggestions have been accepted, such as lowering, and cutting back the two ends of the roof to fit the length of the old station building, thus not upsetting the original front view or silhouette of the building.

Still, the top part of the pillars which holds up the roof will remain visible, something which David says is inevitable, and might even make the vista more interesting.

"A suggestion has come for us to create ornamental designs at the top of these pillars. We will see what we can do," he says.

Another problem David has to deal with is his inability to touch the tenanted portions of the main station building due to unresolved issues over access and the possibility of the hotel’s operations being disrupted. Because of this, work on the main station building will be restricted to painting and "minor patching work" to the exterior.

"Under present circumstances, I would only consider the work half done," says a disappointed David.

Attempts at reaching the management of the Majestic Station Hotel for comment were unsuccessful.

David’s firm has put in a proposal for more thorough refurbishment work on the station building, including the conversion of the present hotel into an up-market hotel which he says would be more in line with the heritage character of the building.

"Such a hotel will be good for Ipoh and its surrounding areas which have an abundance of historical sites. It may even open up the possibility for the Eastern and Oriental Express luxury train to stop in Ipoh instead of just passing by as it does now,” he says.

Contact me at malaya_stamps@yahoo.co.uk

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THIS PAGE WAS LAST UPDATED ON Sunday, 4 May 2003

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