Aloha!

A few weeks ago my family and I traveled to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu for vacation at Disney's Aulani Resort. I don't normally think railroads when someone says Hawaii but I was pleasantly surprised to find a set of narrow gauge (active) tracks crossing the main drive coming into Ko Olina, HI.

While we didn't have any time to check out the station or ride the train (Sundays only) I did want to briefly talk about some of the railroads on Hawaii and things you can explore if ever on these islands.

Island of Oahu

Hawaiian Railway Society / Hawaiian Railway

Formed in 1970 and operates 6.5 miles of preserved narrow gauge track on the leeward side of Oahu. These were the tracks that I came upon in Ko Olina.

View west

View east toward Ewa / Barbers Point

Further reading please check out their website: http://www.hawaiianrailway.com

Waialua Sugar Mill 

Sugar production via beet or cane has always fascinated me. While Hawaii is not known for sugar beets it is known for sugar cane production. There is no longer any sugar growing on Oahu, but plenty of history for exploring. On the North Shore the Waialua Sugar Mill was the last mill operating on the island before it closed in 1996. While exploring the grounds of the mill now turned soap factory I came across photos of the facility during its active years and evidence of it being served by a narrow gauge railway.

Smoke stack at the mill with support structures.

Mill storage silo and smoke stack (Iconic symbols of the mill)

Warehouse and more of the old factory.

Inside the old storage silo - now sides the North Shore Soap Factory (chalked full of historic items)

Below are images that were displayed inside the silo - what a great way to capture the feel of this facility.

Interesting enough the #6 engine above was transferred to the HRS and restored back in 1972.

Island of Maui

Lahaina, Kaanapali, and Pacific Railroad

Back in 1994 I had the first opportunity to ride this neat train. Most recently though the railroad ceased operation on August 1, 2014.

Railroad operated 6 miles of narrow gauge that at one was part of larger network bringing sugar cane from the plantations to mill. One of the great sights on the beautiful tourist line is the 325' trestle it crosses. The sights of the mountains, water, and other islands made this trip alot of fun. My parents had been on Maui prior to us arriving so they took a few photos of the operation.

Check out their website and further Wikipedia reading:

http://www.sugarcanetrain.com

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahaina,_Kaanapali_and_Pacific_Railroad

Everyone has a great October - should have a layout post up early this week.

GM