The River Kwai

During WWII, the Japanese occupied Thailand and built (using primarily English, Canadian, and Australian POW slave laborers) what became known as the "Death Railway" from Bangkok to Burma - 460 kilometers (about 275 miles) long. More than 10,000 POWs died constructing the railway.

234 - The Bridge over the River Kwai is located in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Built 1943-1946 by prisoners of the Japanese as part of the Thailand/Burma (Myanmar) Death Railway used by the Japanese as a logistical line for supplying war supplies to their forces in Burma. The original wood bridged was bombed and destroyed by American forces in 1946. This steel frame bridge is built on the same location where the prisoners constructed the original.

235 - Memorial Cemetery containing remains of 6,900 (of 10,000+) "Death Railway" English, Canadian and Australian soldiers, airmen and sailor prisoners who died building the railway. This cemetery is located just over 100 meters from the Bridge Over the River Kwai.

236 - Train used by Japanese on their Thailand/Burma "Death Railway". Ironically built in 1921 in England!

237 - Only a little over 100 kilometers of the Death Railway is still in use. I spent part of the day riding on about 30 kilometers of it. This is me riding in the only "class" they offered which I believe was pretty close to being WWII vintage! Riding a stretch of the Death Railway gives one a good idea what a difficult undertaking it was to build this railway.

Left: View of wood trestle on still in use on Death Railway.
Right: Much of the Death Railway had to be hand cut through stone mountain sides!



Left: Saiyok Noi Waterfall - Death Railway ran next to it.
Right: Another train used by Japanese on their Thailand/Burma "Death Railway". Ironically it was also built in England!