You want to experience being the most unique is that?
Forget the Maglev in Shanghai. Forget Shinkansen in Japan. Forget the Trans-Siberian. And forget the TGV between Quebec and Windsor (in fact, that one, you can forget it but for reasons different from the other three ... with the full capacity of our brave politicians to connect, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will settled before the first shovelful of earth in Quebec).
Oops, I digress ...
No, for the experiment most peatedly that is, no need for all these wonderful technologies floating trains. Just need to get on the side of Battambang in Cambodia to try the Norry: a bamboo train!
The concept is as simple as ingenious: a bamboo platform three meters long and two meters wide, automotive-type axles mounted in tandem to allow vertical movement of the wheels and a gasoline engine the back of the boat to move the whole.
At full capacity, between 12 and 15 people, the train runs at about 15 km / h. With three or four passengers, one can reach higher peaks 30 km / h.
I had the chance to experiment with a railroad engineer (seriously, what were the odds that I try a bamboo train in the middle of Cambodia with a railroad engineer? .. . you've encountered a lot, you, the railway engineers?). The face he made when he saw the condition of the rails was worth at least a million dollars.
A giant slalom course at infinity. But no risk of derailment, according to the expert, since the train is not moving fast enough.
The expert also explained that the huge holes (the largest up to four to five inches long) at the junction of the rails and the fact that the ends of rails are not at all really does not make the adventure more dangerous. Did you just slap that ass pretty solid bamboo every ten seconds. Too bad, I think it would make a story more punchée :-(
Another factor making the particular adventure: there's a rail for the outward and return. In other words, trains going in opposite directions and which will meet at some point.
Again, no threat to the two trains going in opposite directions collide. Unless the drivers decide to make a contest of the bigger "cheers" to the world.
is where the genius behind the bamboo train makes sense. Within about 15 seconds, remove the platform of bamboo rails and axles to give way to another train. And reverse operation to get the train back on track. And
not need a 4 to 7 of rock, paper, scissors to determine which process will give way.
The rule is simple: the two drivers drop their pants and whoever has the lowest seed to move his train!
Hahaha! I heard you had ... no measuring seed!
The priority goes to the train on which there is a motorcycle. Then, priority goes to train with the most passengers. And what happens when two trains have the same number of passengers? Well, both drivers drop their pants and ...
In fact, I do not think there is any specific rule. In our case, the engineer, his girlfriend and I screamed Avont others to settle before they do. So we won.
Unfortunately, according to some rumors, Norry could disappear (too bad for many locals who use this means of transportation unique on a daily basis) if the government decides to go ahead with the improvement project rail service between Battambang and Phnom Penh.
And in the event that the Cambodian government was going ahead with this project, the Quebec government might buy the bamboo trains. This is probably the closest we'll ever TGV.
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