The Bamboo Train

Call your travel agent! You want to do this!

No, there are no dining or Pullman cars on this train!

A “norry” (as these platforms are called) is a homemade rail cart made of bamboo, wood and often scrap metal with a 6.5 hp lawn mower type engine for power.

This is an amazing clip set in Cambodia of rail carts known as “norrys”. They are so simple to pick up, and are easily reassembled. No two norrys are identical.

In this clip, you actually can see them meet up with two other carts coming the other direction. Then the protocol of who dismantles their cart comes into play. Since these “norrys” can actually take on 10 -15 people or up to 3 tons of rice, the lighter weight “norry” has to disassemble to let the other pass. Then they simply put it back together again and continue on their way!

The norrys run on tracks left over from the French Colonial days and cover the countryside in and around Battambang.

Cost to ride is around 50 cents!

Let us know if you have ridden on this fun tourist excursion!