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Hawaii’s Lahaina, Kaanapali & Pacific Railroad to shut down
Vernon,
Timothy’s last paragraph stated in clear language a report on the state of the State of Hawaii.
Murray’s summation “but nothing spectacular” mirrors mine: BT,DT over 30 years ago.
So, Vernon, your “very said day,” nails it, intentionally or not.
My wife and I road the train in 1986. We enjoyed the ride and took several photographs of all the engines that I could find. We have not been back, but we will miss the train when we return.
A terrible shame. I had once heard that they wanted to extend the line farther up the old right of way. So, what happens after Aug 1? Will it all be abandoned and sold off? I wonder what ridership had been like?
Drive across the country and you see failed business in earnest. While real estate might factor in my guess is the current economy.
A little more notice would have been nice. I do hope the engines find good homes.
It was strange finding a tourist train in the middle of paradise. It was short, but interesting.
I guess I can cross the Sugar Cane Train off my “bucket list”, but not because I was able to ride it.
People are always chasing the money, just like farmers selling their fields to developers.
Correction on the 0-6-2 saddle tank engine “5.”
This locomotive was owned by the Oahu Sugar Company (Waipahu HI), not the OR&L (although Benjamin Dillingham founded both the OR&L and OSC).
Years ago, the LK&P brought back the ORL’s surviving 4-6-0, the “85,” for restoration, however that effort fell through, and “85” was traded to the Hawaiian Railway Society and now can be found at the HRS yard in Ewa HI.
Land speculation is a serious challenge in the islands, median sales price for a 4-bedroom is approaching $750K, the average listing price for metro-Honolulu is $1.09M! Meanwhile the streets are flooded with homeless, traffic is grid-locked, the University of Hawaii is involved in yet another scandal and the Hawaiian sovereignty movement is calling for “self-determination” and “self-governance,” these are exciting times to be living the islands!
My family and I have made several trips to Maui over the past decade. One year my wife and I rode the train, but I had never bothered to take photos of the operation until our most recent visit in April 2013. Over the course of several days, I was able to get images of both the very authentic-looking Myrtle and the more gaudy Anaka hauling the train, as well as some shots of the Plymouth diesel, Oahu, in the shop area at Ka’anapali.
The ridership seemed to consist of tour groups, people who got a ride on the train as part of their compensation for doing a timeshare tour, and the occasional first-time Maui tourist who might have paid cash to ride the train. It’s a short ride with some scenic views in a few spots, but nothing spectacular.
Over the past couple of decades, the line has been owned by Kyle Railways, its successor States Rail, and then by RailAmerica. In 2007, when Fortress Investments acquired RailAmerica, it found a buyer for the LK&P, who, according to regulatory filings, paid a total of about $400,000 for it. Given Hawaii’s unusual land ownership arrangements, I would be surprised if the railroad owns much real estate.
In any case, even if the railroad was a bit of a tourist trap in its final years, it was fun to watch, and it did give tourists some sense of the island’s history. I’m glad I got some pictures of it on our 2013 trip.
Very said day for hawaii
And another piece of Hawaiian history bites the dust so that someone can make a buck on real estate. I rode this train 10 years ago, and even then the McMansions were encroaching on this once-scenic ride. I guess the lure of big money was just too much.
My wife and I visited the line for the first time in 1989. After traveling with me all over the US and Canada for years in search of steam locomotives, trolley cars, and other assorted rail conveyances my wife thought she finally got a vacation away from trains. When I got tickets to ride this line, her comment was OH NO NOT AGAIN! It is a quaint operation and will be missed.
My wife and I visited the line for the first time in 1989. After traveling with me all over the US and Canada for years in search of steam locomotives, trolley cars, and other assorted rail conveyances my wife thought she finally got a vacation away from trains. When I got tickets to ride this line, her comment was OH NO NOT AGAIN! It is a quaint operation and will be missed.
My wife and I visited the line for the first time in 1989. After traveling with me all over the US and Canada for years in search of steam locomotives, trolley cars, and other assorted rail conveyances my wife thought she finally got a vacation away from trains. When I got tickets to ride this line, her comment was OH NO NOT AGAIN! It is a quaint operation and will be missed.
My wife and I visited the line for the first time in 1989. After traveling with me all over the US and Canada for years in search of steam locomotives, trolley cars, and other assorted rail conveyances my wife thought she finally got a vacation away from trains. When I got tickets to ride this line, her comment was OH NO NOT AGAIN! It is a quaint operation and will be missed.
Larry, submit once PLEASE! Patience it takes a few seconds.
Hawaiian Railway Society has only active railroad on Oahu .
We also used the LK&P as transportation from the condominium our family stayed . We would ride into town if I remember correctly.