When I was preparing a sketch map for my previous post, I searched for one that would show the hills and relief of the area around Hillview. I found an old 1924 map and used that as an overlay for my sketch map about battles that occurred in the region of Hillview.
Most everyone, I am sure, would not have noticed something unless you are into railways or perhaps tried to look for the Rail Corridor which, of course being 1924, would not be on the map.
While doing the sketch map, my mind too got distracted by the railway line and I was thinking that perhaps I could share some trivial information that I knew about the railway line here.
On the battle map, there is a railway line drawn from Bukit Timah Village running towards Bukit Panjang.
This railway line was not the one that is today's Rail Corridor, the NParks conservation project to conserve the former KTM railway corridor as a 'Green Corridor'.
This rail line was the older and original Tank Road-Kranji Railway, or sometimes called the Singapore to Woodlands Railway.
I reproduce the map here and the Tank Road-Kranji Line is marked in RED
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| (Click on picture for detailed view) |
In 1932, the Tank Road-Kranji Line was replaced by the new Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Railway (marked in BLUE in the map) that started from Tanjong Pagar instead. Now defunct as of 2011, this is the current Rail Corridor. In this area, it ran along the foothills of Bukit Timah Hill until crossing Upper Bukit Timah Road near Rail Mall and continued north using the same track-bed as the older Kranji Line all the way to the Johore Causeway.
When the 1903 Tank Road-Kranji Line was being planned, there was a proposal to route the track on the western side of Bukit Batok. This would be through the valley between Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak, in the region that would in future become 'Hillview'. The planned route is marked in YELLOW above.
However, this plan was rejected and the actual route the railway track took was up along the eastern slope of Bukit Batok, running parallel to Upper Bukit Timah Road. Perhaps it was easier from an engineering and construction perspective to use the main road?
Hillview Avenue that was constructed in the 1970s was laid on the exact route that the railway line would have taken.
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| The older 1903 Tank Rd-Kranji Railway ran on a terrace beside Upp Bt Timah Road. The newer 1932 KTM Railway was located on the other side of the road. The Ford and Hume factories were built in 1941. The raised terrace can still be seen today. |
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| The Tank Rd-Kranji railway running down from the terrace. The future Hillview Road would be built here in 1947. |