Delve into history of nation's iconic cable cars

Refurbished second-gen cabin, archival footage among features at new exhibition

- Wong Man Shun

Five years after they were launched, Singapore's cable cars were featured in an episode of the original American detective drama Hawaii Five-O, in which a drug smuggler zips down the cables to escape arrest.

That was one tidbit of the cable cars' history at the National Library Board's (NLB) Cable Cars: A Ride Through Time exhibition launched on Aug 12 at VivoCity.

The 2m-by-22m exhibition space, located on the first floor of the shopping mall, delves into the history of Singapore's cable car system, from its launch in 1974 to recent developments such as the new fleet of seven SkyOrb cabins, which boast large porthole windows and glass floors.

A decommissioned and refurbished second-generation cable car is one of the highlights of the exhibition. Visitors may sit inside the cable car to experience the original journey from Mount Faber to Sentosa through the National Archives of Singapore's collection of archival footage displayed on a screen inside the cabin.

The exhibition is part of the NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025. Under this initiative, various "nodes" are installed in public spaces to showcase NLB's wealth of services and collections.