Behrang Stesen

The names Behrang Stesen and Behrang (town) are used interchangeably. The little town was the railway station and vice-versa. Things changed after electrification and double tracking of the lines.

Like the towns of Rasa and Tanjung Malim I visited earlier, the realignment of roads and construction of flyovers changed the face and structure of the affected towns forever.

But how did this historical station end up as a train’s abattoir? The clue lies in the station itself. We’ll look at this in the next post.

Photography Notes: There is a 6-foot high barrier at every railway track flyover, bridge or crossing to prevent people peeing onto the high voltage cables below.

I remember reading about its implementation after some foolhardy people peed onto the electric cables from above.

It was during the early days of electric trains. I think they wanted to test the electrical conductivity of urine.

Unfortunately. the barrier also makes photography difficult. I held the camera with up-stretched arms but couldn’t see the exposure info nor frame properly with the flipped-down LCD due to midday glare.

No problem. Activated Sony’s Wireless Live View and Smart Remote Control app on my Samsung Galaxy Phone via one-touch NFC.

The Sony PlayMemories Camera App allowed me to monitor, frame and touch-focus via the phone’s LCD screen. The setup is like a wireless or electronic periscope.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f8, 1/500 sec.

The Long Kiss Goodnight

For train buffs and railway enthusiasts, it is heartbreaking to see fairly new trains ripped apart by excavators and backhoes.

With a dismembered body part lying nearby, two dying trains kiss for the last time.

See my recent post “The Ghost Train” for some insights into the phasing out and demolition of this series of Komuter trains.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4.5, 1/500 sec.

Tanjung Malim Train Station

A very big station was built as part of the electrified double-tracking rail project. The new railway station and the accompanying road re-alignment and flyover were to change the face of Tanjung Malim town forever.

Amazingly, the sheltered platform is about 500 meters long. Currently there are only a handful of passengers, even during rush hour. Talk about optimism or building for the future.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 250, f4, 1/250 sec.

Missing The Train

Homage to the music video and song (If Only I Could) Turn Back Time by Aqua. It was the Danish-Norwegian eurodance group’s only slow-paced song. Nevertheless, it showcased the vocal prowess of Lene Nystrøm Rasted.

It was also the soundtrack of the 1998 film ‘Sliding Doors’ with similar visual treatment. The twin-universe rom-com was about the consequence of Gwyneth Paltrow’s character missing the train.

Photographed at the Tanjung Malim train station.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4, 1/10 sec.