Puzzle solved 50 years later, thanks to ST photo story

• Clivebenss

  4 May 10, 14:23

  May 4, 2010 - ST Forum
  

  Puzzle solved 50 years later, thanks to ST photo story

  I LEARNT something from the '6:39pm' picture in The Straits Times yesterday.

  When I was a very little child, my parents used to take me to the railway station at North Buona Vista Road, where the Biopolis now is, to watch the train passing in the evening.

  (The train station is gone now, but the track still runs there, and the area is still called Tanglin Halt.)

  I used to see the station master handing a bag to the driver of the train each time it passed, looking exactly like this photo, and wondered why he did that. I never found out until now.

  Today, after more than 50 years, I discover that it actually contains a brass token, and is a safety measure to ensure that the train with the token is the only one on that two-way section of track!

  Lee Hsien Loong
  Prime Minister

   

• Clivebenss

  4 May 10, 17:21

  surprise that PM bother to write to ST Forum.

  

• ditzy

  4 May 10, 17:25

  He could've just asked, or google. How come his letters get priority to forum page? Write today get published the next?

• ditzy

  4 May 10, 17:26

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Token_%28railway_signalling%29

   

  Can't be bothered to link it.

• As romanista2001

  4 May 10, 17:27

  he'll be writing another letter about how his mom always insists to be on top of his daddy in bed................while he's peeping from the closet.

   

• Vote PAP OUT to Save SG

  4 May 10, 17:34

  Originally posted by Clivebenss:

  surprise that PM bother to write to ST Forum.

  

  could be a propaganda ploy to appeal to older voters. now that we are near towards elections, we can expect all sorts of propaganda stunts from PAP.

  From CPF restore by 1%, to shows about HDB to Lee hsien Loong writing to ST.

• Clivebenss

  4 May 10, 17:35

  Originally posted by Vote PAP OUT to Save SG:

  could be a propaganda ploy to appeal to older voters.

  nah, showing his naivety.

  more for the train fans may be.

  

   

• sir_peanuts

  4 May 10, 23:07

  this is not the first time PM replied to something as casual. when his former army colleague was interviewed, he wrote in to say hi too.

  let's not be too skeptical about the political motivations, maybe he's sincere?

  if you're a train fan, you're happy. if you work in biopolis, you feel a connection. if you live in tanglin halt, you feel proud. why not?

• -StarDust-

  5 May 10, 10:45

  I saw that in Shin Ming Ri Bao too.