The conditions were horrific. Of the estimated 330,000 working on the railroad line, about 80,000 Asian coolies died and about 16,000 allied prisoners died. That was about 38 prisoners for every half mile of track built. The track from Burma to Thailand was about 257 mlles long.

They died from sickness, malnutrion and just plain exhaustion . The medical care was almost non-existent and many prisoners suffered horribly before dying. The prisoner's diet consisted of rice and salted vegetables served twice a day. Sometimes they were forced to work up to sixteen hours a day under atrocious conditions. Many prisoners were tortured for the smallest offenses.

Hidden records of the prisoners were found after the war, indicating punishments by the Japanese included savage beatings, or being made to kneel on sharp sticks while holding a boulder for one to three hours at a time and being tied to a tree with barbed wire and left there for two to three days without any food or water.

It was 1943 and thousands of Allied Prisoners of War (POW's) and Asian laborers (coolies) did all the heavy manual work by hand or with elephants, since there was no heavy earth moving equipment available.

The Japanese were building the railway to get to the Burmese front to fight the British. It was WW II.

The most famous portion of the railway is Bridge 277, 'the bridge over the River Kwai', which was built over a stretch of river which was then known as part of the Mae Klong .

While the bridge, immortalised in the 1950's film "The Bridge over the River Kwai" was replaced by a new structure, the railway still remains.

Today, I visit the site of the "Death Railway" as it has become known. I will ride over a portion of the railway and walk the railroad ties that so many thousands of prisoners lost their lives building.

I walk around the sites and see the souvenir and refreshment stands that are selling goods. I take photos of the territory where so much suffering and death of Allied prisoners of War, including Americans, happened.

The train ride over the bridge is at a snail's pace so we can get photos out the window, if possible. There are so many on the train, we are standing shoulder to shoulder. It is difficult to get to a window to photo the scenery.

Once we pass over the bridge the train picks up speed and takes us to our next destination. There is so much history here, it seems a little sad how lightly we take the journey on the train over the tracks of the Death Train, today.

I see the comments you leave and respond when I do. Sometimes it takes a few days before I have internet. You will find the response on the same page you posted yours.

I got a comment from the manager of my job in Texas the other day, Paul K. I am glad to have the guys from work follow along and you too.