Cambodia's Unique Bamboo Train

People in an improvished country where lacks of modern transportation invented bamboo trains riding on one-track (say, if two trains meet, the one with the lighter loads needs to be taken off to make the way for another):

A tiny electric generator engine provides the power, and the passenger accommodation is a bamboo platform that rests on top of two sets of wheels. A dried-grass mat to sit on counts as a luxury.

It would be a white-knuckle ride - if there were actually anything to hold on to.

The bamboo trains reach about 40km/h (25mph), with the track just a couple of inches below the passengers. Warped and broken rails make for a bone-shaking journey.

But the drivers insist it is a safe form of transport.

"We're very careful," said 18-year-old Sok Kimhor, a 10-year veteran of the bamboo trains. "We look out for children and animals running across the lines, and we have to slow down when other trains come along."

Tags: cambodia railway unique train transportation transport one-track bamboo train