Hawaiian Railway Society

09/03/2026

it's Spookapalooza Time !

Please read the flyer and follow the directions.

08/25/2026

🚂 Beyond the OR&L: Samuel Gardner Wilder and the Railroads of Hawaiʻi Island
Ross continues his exploration of the fascinating history of railroads in Hawaiʻi in this latest episode with ʻŌlelo Community Media.
This time, the story moves beyond the familiar tracks of the Oʻahu Railway & Land Company to focus on Samuel Gardner Wilder (1831–1888).
Wilder was much more than a railroad promoter. He was a successful entrepreneur, shipping magnate, politician, and government official who became one of the influential figures in Hawaiʻi’s transportation industry during the late 19th century.
⚓ His interests in inter-island shipping and the growing sugar industry led him to recognize the importance of rail transportation on Hawaiʻi Island. As Minister of the Interior under King Kalākaua, Wilder was instrumental in the creation of the Hawaiian Railroad Company.
📍 The railroad connected the sugar plantations of North Kohala with the port of Māhukona, providing a vital transportation link between the plantations and the coast. Wilder’s ownership of the steamship company serving Māhukona further connected the railroad with Hawaiʻi’s inter-island transportation network.
Wilder’s story illustrates how closely intertwined sugar, shipping, government, and railroads were in the development of Hawaiʻi’s 19th-century economy.
Watch the latest episode and join Ross as he explores the life of Samuel Gardner Wilder and his important place in Hawaiʻi railroad history. https://youtu.be/yQPXDX4q14I
Have information or suggestions?�Be sure to contact Ross at [email protected] with suggestions for future episodes and any additional information you may have regarding the subject of this episode.
Mahalo to ʻŌlelo Community Media for providing the production facilities, technical expertise, and ongoing support that make this educational series possible.
The Hawaiian Railway Society is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Hawaiʻi’s unique railroad heritage. Whether you’re interested in restoration, operations, historical research, museum interpretation, archives, or simply have a passion for trains and history, we’d love to have you join our team.

🚂 Samuel Gardner Wilder: Entrepreneur, Statesman & Railroad Builder...

08/10/2026

🚂 Hawaii's railroad story didn't end on Oʻahu.
Most people know the story of the Oahu Railway & Land Company, but did you know the Island of Hawaiʻi was home to one of the most remarkable railroads ever built in the Islands?
Our newest Hawaiian Railway Society presentation explores the history of the Hilo Railroad Company, organized in 1899 under the leadership of Benjamin Franklin Dillingham to serve Hilo and the island's thriving sugar industry. After financial difficulties and receivership in 1914, the railroad was reorganized in 1916 as the Hawaii Consolidated Railway, continuing the legacy of the original Hilo Railroad.
Featuring spectacular engineering, breathtaking coastal scenery, and an important role in the development of East Hawaiʻi, this is a story every Hawaii history enthusiast should know.
🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/AK2LJFwnUEE
Mahalo to ʻŌlelo Community Media for their continued partnership and production support in bringing this series to viewers throughout Hawaii and beyond.
🤝 The Hawaiian Railway Society is powered by volunteers. If you'd like to help preserve Hawaii's railroad heritage through restoration, operations, historical research, archives, museum activities, or special events, we'd love to welcome you.
❓ Questions, comments, or suggestions?
Do you have additional information about the railroads featured in this episode? Is there a Hawaii railroad topic you'd like us to cover in a future program?
Please contact HRS Historian Jeff Livingston at [email protected]. Your ideas and research help us tell Hawaii's railroad story.
Please watch, like, comment, and share this episode to help introduce more people to Hawaii's remarkable railroad history.

Hawaii's railroad story didn't end on Oʻahu.While the Oahu Railway...

07/16/2026

New episode on YouTube: Ross returns with a fascinating look at the steam-powered Fowler machines that helped shape Hawaiʻi’s sugar industry. It’s not just trains!
🎬 Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOMCeNhWPaU
In this presentation, Ross explores the engineering and agricultural role of the Fowler machines used on Hawaiian sugar plantations. From heavy hauling to field operations, these powerful machines helped transform sugar production across the islands and reveal the scale and ingenuity of the plantation era.
The next time you visit the Hawaiian Railway Society, see if you can find examples of snap track and our cane car. While many members of the public come to the Ewa yard for the train ride, the ride is just one part of HRS’s broader mission as a museum organization: to preserve Hawaiʻi’s railroad history and educate the public about it. Our historic locomotives, rolling stock, and artifacts bring that history to life. Be sure to take the time to explore the yard and the collection around you.
This episode was produced in partnership with ʻŌlelo Community Media and can also be viewed on their platform.
📺 Subscribe to the HRS YouTube channel for more railroad history, archival footage, and restoration updates.
📩 Have information or suggestions? Contact Jeff at [email protected] with ideas for future episodes or additional information about this episode—or any of our previous episodes.
🚂 The Hawaiian Railway Society is powered by volunteers. If you would like to help preserve and share Hawaiʻi’s railway history, we invite you to join us.

06/30/2026

Jeff has a progress report on the Kauila 6 restoration! 🚂
The first O.R. & L. locomotive was looking much better under its new shelter and with the initial work on the cab, but there was still more to do. Since the project began on March 1st, our volunteers have been hard at work replacing the stack, headlight bracket, headlight, boiler plate, windows, and the informative signage. Today, we even began replacing the cap blocks of the display area!
We are in the home stretch now. Still on the to-do list: glazing two stationary windows and installing latches on the two hinged cab front windows. We expect the glazing to be finished next Sunday, and the latches should arrive via USPS within the week.
Check out the photos below to see the transformation from the start of the project to where we are today!

06/17/2026

Nice writeup on the Hawaiian Railway Society in a recent (6/10/16) Midweek Voice West Oahu Community News! 🚂 Fifty years of historic train excursions on Oʻahu's only active historic railway — and still going strong. Check it out!
🔗 https://midweek-hi.newsmemory.com/?selDate=20260610&goTo=01&artid=1&editionStart=Voice%20West

This full replica of our printed product provides you the newspaper as you know and love it from the convenience of the web.

05/19/2026

Why the interest in railroads—particularly railroads in Hawaiʻi?

This week’s HRS/ʻŌlelo episode is a little different.

Rather than focusing on archival images and historical documents, HRS Historian Jeff reflects on how his own interest in trains developed—beginning with a fascination for their mechanical aspects and growing into a lifelong passion for railroad history.

Naturally, the conversation also turns to the history of railroads in Hawaiʻi and why preserving that history matters.

It’s a thoughtful and personal episode—and well worth the listen.

The Hawaiian Railway Society is truly fortunate that Jeff took on the mantle of Historian.

This episode was produced in partnership with ʻŌlelo Community Media and can also be viewed on their platform.

🎥 Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mclnn3hf3Gw

📩 Be sure to contact Jeff at [email protected] with suggestions for future episodes and any additional information you may have regarding this episode—or any of our previous episodes.

Thanks for watching!

And yes—we had to have at least one image for this episode, so I included a picture of the first railroad project I worked on with TIm back in 2010, the ex-Navy Sheffield Model 44B.

05/11/2026

Did you know that by 1926, Hawaiʻi’s sugar plantations operated 140 locomotives, more than 900 miles of railroad track, and 300 miles of portable track?

In this episode, Ross explores how railroads and associated technology enabled the development of Hawaiʻi’s sugar plantations, focusing on the Honolulu Plantation Company. Beginning in 1898, the company developed fields in Kalihi, ʻEwa, ʻAiea, and Pearl City, and by the 1930s employed approximately 2,500 workers while producing 40,000 tons of sugar annually.

Drawing on historical records from the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Ross also examines the remarkable scale of plantation railroading in Hawaiʻi. In addition to plantation railways, seven commercial carriers operated across the major islands on approximately 325 miles of track, using roughly 60 locomotives, 110 passenger cars, and 1,400 freight cars.

This episode was produced in partnership with ʻŌlelo Community Media and can also be viewed on their platform.

🎥 Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Ezp1E6H6Y

📩 Be sure to contact Jeff at [email protected] with suggestions for future episodes and any additional information you may have regarding the subject of this episode—or any of our previous episodes. Jeff will gladly pass along any requests intended for Ross.

Thanks for watching!

By 1926, Hawaiʻi’s sugar plantations operated 140 locomotives, more than 900 miles of railroad track, and 300 miles of portable track.In this video, Ross exp...

05/04/2026

As always....

From a few years ago.....

.... May the 4th....

04/21/2026

We’re back with Part 2 of our latest series!

In this video, Ross continues his presentation on the history of the Oahu Railway and Land Company. Using the extensive collection of photographs and documents in the HRS library, this episode resumes the story around 1913 and follows the OR&L through its later development and eventual conclusion.

The video also covers the final years of the Honolulu Harbor Branch—renamed the Oahu Railway—which remained in operation until December 31, 1971.

This episode was produced in partnership with ʻŌlelo Community Media and can also be viewed on their platform.

🎥 Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=######X

📩 Be sure to contact Jeff at [email protected] with suggestions for future episodes and any additional information you may have regarding the subject of this episode.

Thanks for watching!

https://youtu.be/GzrGxHfvWyc

HRS/ʻŌlelo Episode 37 Part 2 of the History of the OR&L through documents and photos.