Hawaiian Railway Society

[69843]

Having just spent a lovely couple of weeks over in Hawaii on Oahu, I was able to go and have a look at the Hawaiian Railway Society.

 

This is the only railway museum in the whole of Hawaii. Using the Oahu Rail & Land Co. rails (3ft gauge), some dating back to the 1890s, it goes on a 90 minute trip from the depot in Ewa out to Kahe Point and return, although they are also working on the section of track from Kahe point to Nanakuli. You are also allowed to freely wander around the 'open air museum' and the workshops, and even all over some of the items there.

 

The locomotive on the sign above is Waialua Agraculture Company #6. She was the first locomotive owned by the society, and was in the workshops being cosmetically restored whilst I was there. Stupidly, I didn't take a picture of her being restored. They had been talking about operating the locomotive again, even going so far as to obtain a quote from a boiler maker, when the GFC hit and they are still in limbo about this decision,

 

The first locomotive I stumbled across was not 3ft, but rather 2ft gauge. This, along with the yellow locomotive, were used during the excavation of the Red Hill fuel storage depot. I strongly recommend looking up about this marvel of WWII engineering, as there is not enough space to explain it here. USN 65-00495 'Mole' is a Greensburg Type C Utility Car, built in 1960 according to the builders plate (date actually reads 11-28-60, or 28th November 1960). The yellow Goodman mine engine and 'muck car' are also from Red Hill, and date from sometime near it's opening. Both of them are battery-electrics.

 

OR&L 0-4-2ST #6 was the first locomotive of the OR&L Co. Built in 1889. She was originally ordered to work in a quarry, but was not suitable for the tracks. Benjamin Dillingham, the builder of the OR&L railway, made a bet that he would give his friends a ride on his birthday on his new railway. However, his first two locomotives wouldn't arrive in time. He swiftly bought #6, gave rides on his birthday and won the bet.

 

Now, this next wagon is unusual for two reasons. Not only is it a standard gauge wagon, it is from Europe! It is a wagon from the 'Merci Train'. Without going into detail about the train (info here: http://www.mercitrain.org), it was one of 49 identical vans gifted to the USA from France as a thank you for support through the war. This one is actually shared between Washington D.C. and Hawaii.

 

Back on to the 3ft stuff, this is #(65-00)423, an ex-Navy Whitcomb 45-ton, 300hp switcher built in 1944. She is mainly used as yard shunter and train locomotive, the same as identical sister engine #(65-00)302. Behind is #65-00174, a Whitcomb 65-ton shunter. A class of 3, they were the biggest locomotives to operate on Oahu.

 

OR&L #12 is a 1912 ALCO built 0-6-0, built as a switcher and mainly worked in the Honolulu yard, although did venture out a bit.

 

Car #64 was Benjamin Dillingham's private car. it is better explained by the info stand (and the picture is a little dodgy!).

 

The self propelled weed spraying car of the railway, freshly restored and ready to go.

 

#85 is an interesting story. She left Oahu in 1953, went to California, was taken to Maui in the 1990s to be restored, but languished. In 2010, she was bought back to Oahu, and is now currently awaiting a full cosmetic overhaul.

 

Next up is the (as far as I could gather) lawnmower!

Some of the Per-Way equipment. The wagons behind the speeder hold ties and ballast for the Saturday track maintenance trip. I was given a ride on the speeder later in the afternoon as a special treat by someone who only told me once we were underway, and I quote, 'I only learned to drive it yesterday'! The second picture shows the society's tamping machine.

 

The train from the rear. The carriages are all built on 1944 flat car frames, with outwards facing benches.

 

Ewa 1. Built by Baldwin in the 1890s, she was the first locomotive purchased for use on the Ewa Sugar Plantation, and is the only surviving Ewa locomotive. As with a lot of steam locomotives at the site, she was powered by oil. Whilst being red, Her most famous colour was apparently Renton Green, a particular shade mixed and named after the manager of the mill from 1899 to the 1930s, George Renton.

 

Whitcomb #302 after the ride. I was invited up into the cab for the full trip as 'Honorary Secondman', which basically consisted of blowing the horn both when we saw people waving trackside and using the code at crossings (Long-Long-Short-Long). It was nice and simple up in the cab, with only one drivers seat to worry about.

 

Now a request for help. Whilst wondering around the shed, I came across a gem of a find, which is a British Railways sign. I would guess Midland Region by the colour, but if anyone can shed some light on it, I would appreciate that very much.

[roundhouse]

Its nice ride on that line. Just a shame that it doesn't still go into Honolulu.

 

There is another line on Maui near Lahaina on an old sugar cane line although its more of a tourist train ride than nay museum. Very nicely done though.

 

http://www.sugarcanetrain.com/

 

 

There is a rail museum on Big Island 

 

http://www.thetrainmuseum.com/

 

 

Ian

[Neil]

 

Now a request for help. Whilst wondering around the shed, I came across a gem of a find, which is a British Railways sign. I would guess Midland Region by the colour, but if anyone can shed some light on it, I would appreciate that very much.

 

 

I'm pretty sure from what can be seen of the sign is that it's from Caernarvon (now spelt Caernarfon but pronounced the same) here in N Wales. The station closed in '72, being part of the Midland Region at that time. Strange to see it so far from home.

[69843]

I'm pretty sure from what can be seen of the sign is that it's from Caernarvon (now spelt Caernarfon but pronounced the same) here in N Wales. The station closed in '72, being part of the Midland Region at that time. Strange to see it so far from home.

Thanks for that Neil. I was quite shocked to see the sign myself, and knew I could get help here. Cheers.

[QRModeller]

Now this is something I wish was in test drive unlimited

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

 

Matt.

[trisonic]

As Hawaii is the fiftieth state of the union of the USA would you be concerned if I moved this thread to USA & Canadian Railroads?

 

Cheers, Pete.

[RJL]

When these photos were taken passenger services were in the form of a DMU shuttle service from Bangor.

[69843]

As Hawaii is the fiftieth state of the union of the USA would you be concerned if I moved this thread to USA & Canadian Railroads?

 

Cheers, Pete.

That would be fine.

[pH]

After three previous visits to Honolulu, I finally made it out to to the Hawaiian Railway Society at Ewa last weekend.

 

In addition to their museum, the Society operates a train on Sundays on what was the mainline of the 3 foot gauge Oahu Railway and Land Company (OR&L), which closed as a common carrier in 1947, though this particular part of the line was used by the US military until 1968. I tried to get pictures of that train, but a combination of earlier appointments, separation of tracks from main roads, gated communities and later prior appointments meant I didn't manage it.

 

The volunteers are very friendly, there is no admission fee (though it does cost to ride the train) - the only instruction I was given was "Don't climb on the equipment".

 

"69843" posted several pictures of the museum in the OP of this topic. I'll try not to post pictures which are just duplicates of any of his.

 

OR&L'S number 12, an 0-6-0 switcher built by Alco:

 

 

Oahu Railway number 302, a 300 horsepower 45-ton Whitcomb diesel electric donated by the military:

 

 

The Society have another of these locomotives, number 423, which was hauling the tourist train that day. "69843" showed a picture of that locomotive in the OP.

 

Whitcomb 65 tonner #174 undergoing a repaint, in grey undercoat. As "69843" said, this was used by the US Navy, and was one of the three largest diesels ever used in Hawaii:

 

 

"69843" posted a picture of 4-6-0 number 85 of the OR&L, built by Alco, undergoing restoration. Work seems to have stopped on this. It was outside in the yard, and is obviously missing some parts. Notice the wide separation between the second and third sets of coupled wheels to accommodate the firebox:

 

 

Waialua Agricultural Company number 6, an 0-6-2T. In very poor condition:

 

 

150 horsepower diesel electric built by General Electric, donated by the military:

 

 

I have other pictures of 3 foot gauge rolling stock at the museum, and some pictures of 'odds and ends'. Does anyone want me to post those?

[switcher 1]

 

 

I have other pictures of 3 foot gauge rolling stock at the museum, and some pictures of 'odds and ends'. Does anyone want me to post those?

You bet we do!

[298]

The "lawn mower" looks like it is mounted on the frame of the burner part of a "Willard Weed Burner", I've never seen a good photo of one but can imagine how the pyramid shaped cowl could be suspended from the top rail.

[pH]

As requested, here are some pictures of 3 foot gauge rolling stock at the Hawaiian Railway Society museum at Ewa, near Honolulu. Again, I'm trying not to duplicate any of  "69843"'s pictures from the OP. Apologies for the limited details on each picture, but there were no labels on anything. Also, apologies for any obvious errors, since I had to make my own guesses as to what some things were.

 

First, a passenger coach in serious need of restoration. I'm doubtful that it could be fully restored, though I'd love to be proved wrong:

 

A steel-bodied boxcar bought from the US Navy by the Oahu Railway and Land Company (OR&L):

 

Tank car:

 

Another tank car with what appears to be a pump on one end. I believe this is ex-military:

 

Wooden-sided, steel door boxcar:

 

Open passenger car, with side-facing seats. Other passenger cars, all of which appeared to be in use on the Sunday train, are open sided with roofs:

 

Very basic ballast car (you wonder just how much would make it to the work site!):

 

Permanent way train:

 

Handcar:

 

A small example of the most common piece of rolling stock on Hawaiian railrods - a cane car. The overwhelming majority of railroads on the Hawaiian islands were on sugar cane plantations. There were 'main lines' of fairly permanent track, and movable tracks which were laid into fields of sugar cane. Trains of these cane cars were loaded in the fields with cut stalks of sugar cane, moved to the mainline by mule or by very small and light engines, then hauled to the plantation's sugar mill along the 'main lines' by larger engines.

 

 

I have a very few 'odds and ends' from my visit, and I'll post those later.

[pH]

I only have a couple more photos from my visit to the Hawaiian Railway Society that don't duplicate pictures posted by '69843' in the OP.

 

Here's one end of Whitcomb 65 tonner #174.

 

 

The circular depression on the end of the frame (circled in red) is a poling pocket. There's one in a similar position on each corner of the engine. These were used to hold one end of a wooden pole, which was used to push cars on an adjacent track    ! Here's a video of poling in action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUb8PeeT2WI. Needless to say, this practice is now banned.  

 

And I had to look twice to make sure what was forming the link between the two containers here. 'G' scale, I think.

 

 

 

[Hawaiian Railway]

To PH and Switcher,

 

My name is Steve, I'm the Operations Manager at the Hawaiian Railway.  I wanted to give some answers to the above pictures.

 

When #85 was returned to her home rails, the plan was to cosmetically restore the Loco. It has been painted her to protect from the weather.  As time permits, we will continue to put #85 back together.

 

WACo #6 is the reason the society was formed back in 1970. She was restored to operational condition and ran under steam for about 10 years. There was a push to make her operational a few years ago but the boiler maker we hired took our money, but did not provide anything.  In the near future, WACo will be cosmetically restored and will be displayed in front of our new station (that will be built in the next year or so).

 

The coach pictured above is Oahu Railway #2. It was a first class coach.  Yes, this will be restored in the future and will be easier than coach #57 (which is currently being restored).  Easier, sure it's already mostly apart. 

 

Thanks for your interest in the Hawaiian Railway.