The Jurong Line leading from Sunset Way to King Albert Park, compared to the walk from Teban Gardens to the Faber Hills Estate, is a relatively easy trek as the terrain is flat for most part of it, and the vegetation though dense at certain areas, is easy to navigate. There are occasional fallen trees and branches that one has to be careful of, and extremely muddy areas that one has to cross.
Other than that, however, the walk is an enjoyable one, and also an opportunity to revel in the beauty of the forest and its inhabitants, an experience most people living in Singapore will rarely get exposure to. Most importantly, this section of the Jurong Line reveals little parts of the railway track that have fallen to abandonment – the old signal lights and electrical boxes, items that once controlled the very trains that passed through the area, but now left decrepit, rotting, and useless.
Let’s just let the photos do the talking:
I love the reflection formed on the water in the above photo
Old and rusted electrical boxes
A bigger electrical box, almost completely camouflaged by plants
An old signal light, fallen to the ground. Moss has also started to grow on it.
The only signal light in this entire section that is still standing tall.
Some people, sometime ago, lost a hat, and a shoe.
Plants in the forest:
Aglaonema nitidum
Some form of Bracket Fungi
Another form of Bracket Fungi
Filoboletus – White Mushrooms that apparently glow in the dark!
The animals:
Spider
Dried Leaf Cockroach (aka Pseudophoraspis nebulosa)
Dragonfly
If you happened to know the names of any of these plants and animals, do let me know.
Special thanks to Ivan for identifying the names of some of these plants and animals.
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This post is a continuation of the original four part series on the Jurong Line.
You may view the original four posts here:
– Jurong Line: A photo guide
– Jurong Line: Is this Goodbye?
– Jurong Line: Kampung Life Along The Tracks
– Jurong Line: Digging Up A Bit of My Childhood
Also, to render your support toward The establishment of The Green Corridor, join the “We support The Green Corridor in Singapore” Facebook page.
2 comments
Pat says:
May 22, 2011
Thanks for featuring these seldom-seen railway remnants, as well as the wildlife.
The bottommost dragonfly photo appears to show a female Crocothemis servilia (Common Scarlet, Scarlet Skimmer, Ruddy Marsh Scarlet). To verify the sex, zoom into your original photo & look at the rear-end close-up. This native species is commonly sighted at disturbed open habitats with still water.
Mature males are uniformly scarlet-red (including the eyes), hence the dragonfly’s common names. Like the females, immature males also have golden-yellowish bodies & eyes, but a narrower rear-end with slightly longer anal appendages (the tiny pointy bits) & lacking the in-between segment. All 3 forms sport a distinctive blackish/dark line along the dorsum of the abdominal segments.
Some photos: LINK1, LINK2, LINK3
Note:- In LINK3, the photo of the golden-yellow form actually shows an immature male, although the page author seems to have mistaken it as a female.
deafknee says:
Jun 6, 2011
@Pat: wow thanks so much. That’s most informative!