Ah yes....that will be the 'skates' you're describing.
This one is actually on the old railway main line (believe it or not), and the ex is sitting somewhere in there (in blue), and the guy standing to the right, the driver, is her cousin.
These 'vehicles' are powered by 7hp pump motors using a belt to the driving wheel.
The actual wheels are large truck wheelbearings. Amazing, and sometimes scary at up to 40mph on twisted old rails with half the ballast missing, no fencing along bridges that span 500ft drops etc.
They carry everything from a dozen passengers plus luggage, 100 cases of coca-cola to 20 or 30 sacks of rice or 3 or 4 large pigs which are strapped down to the floor.
There are also smaller 'manually operated' ones.
One of the things I love about the Filipinos is the way they innovate and adapt things to suit their circumstances and the materials available.
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