It's The End for the Maui Sugar Cane Train

I’m sorry to learn of this, but thought this line had closed down years ago. 🤔 Last rode on it in 1971.

I assume Maui, Lahaina, or ? has a Chamber of Commerce and an interest in tourist dollars.  I am always mystified when somebody kills a golden goose of a tourist draw to an area.  I think this with locals in Durango wanting to move the train from  downtown.  Lahaina has whale watching (from a distance, so not that exciting), and the road to Hana, so there are other draws, but Mesa Verde is not that close to Durango, and the ski season is not year around.  My several trips to Durango was for the railroad, which in its present form is best represented to me by the coal burning C&T, which doesn't run to Durango. Places l have visited because of RR history include Mich. UP, Maine two footers, Alaska, s. Ky., Strasburg and EBT Pa., the Calf. Western, the Swiss Glacier Express, Norwegian rackrail, etc .  Most those places love tourist dollars, and Lahaina does not?  Hawaii should portray its sugar train history, on at least one of its islands.

Wow, I just realized, from watching the front-end video, that my idea of this train running very slowly through green, green, green grass was greatly in error.  What a delightful ride it must have been.

So sad.

We did our once in a lifetime trip to Maui in 2016. The train depot parking lot across from Kaanapali Beach was open with some signage and plaques but the train was no longer running. Also 2016 was the last year the sugar plantation was in operation on Maui (the last sugar plantation in Hawaii). All land is being bought up by the filthy rich on Maui so the tourist will be next to go as well.

"All land is being bought up by the filthy rich on Maui so the tourist will be next to go as well."

Sadly, that is the case in many, many areas of the USA now. Same is happening in the Ozark and Ouachita mountain regions where I live.

A long time friend that has lived in in what used to be the smallest rural (mountainous) county in Arkansas since a child, is seeing this happen. Not only are some filthy rich coming in and buying huge tracts of land (and promptly closing off any access roads/former public roads), but also those fleeing their "Craphole" cities are moving into the area in unprecedented numbers. This typically is accompanied by a cultural shift within a few years time, and the way of life that the native regional's enjoyed all their life is forever lost.

Andre

Sorry to hijack an old thread. This is my first time to Maui and I didn’t know this train existed. We rented a car and stumbled on some crossings. Are the operating steam locomotives sold and gone? I found three isolated and on display. The shop area looks like some buildings were removed, and I only see passenger cars parked. There’s a cool station and turntable on the south end. Just before that are large rocks fouling the line. The rest of the line is usually hard to tell there are still rails in the weeds. No sign of ties or ballast. What a bummer.

A few more

Sorry I never got to see it.  The equipment is for sale if you have a real hankering for your own narrow gauge working locomotives.

Thanks for sharing your pictures

I road with my parents, oldest son who was 3 at the time and my wife back in 2009. Lahaina station is where we boarded and watched them turn the locomotive on the turntable. It was a great experience that per our conductor had been reduced in length from what it originally was when it started as a tourist ride. Sad to see it gone. My parents went twice a year to Hawaii for over 20 years for vacations and Hawaii for them lost its charm. Sad to see things like this ending to be replaced by sprawl.

SHAME....more history down the tube....had the pleasure to ride several times....will be missed...

Sorry to see it go. It was a fun ride through the sugar cane.

Does anybody know if either of the steamers in the above photos have a history in Bessemer, Pennsylvania in a limestone quarry?

I read that one of the engines from the quarry landed in Hawaii on a tourist railroad but I never bothered to find out which one.

@BillYo414 posted:

Does anybody know if either of the steamers in the above photos have a history in Bessemer, Pennsylvania in a limestone quarry?

I read that one of the engines from the quarry landed in Hawaii on a tourist railroad but I never bothered to find out which one.

These are the two steamers displayed together. They are more south of the Lahaina station and turntable, but not far.
https://lahainarestoration.org...kestack-locomotives/

The green 0-6-2 Sugar Cane Train 5 is on display at the Lahaina station is mentioned here, but no history.

http://www.girr.org/girr/relics/lkp/lkp.html

I can’t find any current status of the steamers or diesel that powered the trains. Google Earth shows the railroad shop area to be more complete then than it looks today.

While talking about the two on display together, here are some shots inside the cabs. I’m surprised at how intact they look for a static display. The vibe in Maui is just different. There’s no sign of vandals breaking or damaging things. The controls for the turntable in Lahaina are unlocked, but still intact like it was just used yesterday.

#5 might the locomotive but I will have to look it up in my book when I get home, if I remember.

When taking shop tour at Strasburg on April 17th,  what we were told was a sugar cane locomotive from Hawaii was in the shop, having a total operational restoration almost completed. The tender was blanketed over in secrecy, as the owner wished to remain anonymous. We were instructed not to photograph the locomotive, it was beautifully restored.

@Sam Jumper posted:

I’m surprised at how intact they look for a static display.

I guess I am sort of surprised some accoutrements on the engines haven't "walked away" yet. Water glass, valve handles, throttle levers, safety valves, lubricators...

@Sam Jumper posted:

Man, those are just so sad!

My wife and I did an islands cruise in 2003 and Lahaina wasn't originally on the Interary, which bummed me out... until a big storm appeared between us and Fanning Island, so they swapped that stop with Lahaina!

This depot was just a few blocks up the hill from the dock there. You couldn't dock a cruise ship there at the time, so we had to take small boats to the dock from the ship but it was well worth it.

We immediately headed for the station and the turntable and rode the first train of the day. It wasn't a long trip but it was nice, kind of like what you'd find at, say, a Disney park as the steam was real but it had a touristy feel to it.

After the ride, I remember we had a great lunch at a place near the waterfront and went to Luau at some resort just North of the downtown area. That was a great day. It's a shame it isn't around anymore but at least I can say I got to ride narrow gauge in Alaska and Hawaii, something not many can say.

While talking about the two on display together, here are some shots inside the cabs. I’m surprised at how intact they look for a static display. The vibe in Maui is just different. There’s no sign of vandals breaking or damaging things. The controls for the turntable in Lahaina are unlocked, but still intact like it was just used yesterday.

Sam, we were in Maui for our 40th anniversary and saw the station across from our resort the Kaanapoli Beach Hotel now Just a parking lot with some signs and the one in Lahina a bit more touristy. The controls must not be pawnable otherwise they would be gone. Most tourist spot locations on Maui have piles of broken glass which were at one time a car window. If anything of perceived value is visible kiss it goodbye. That's the part of our trip that unfortunately can't forget.

I completely forgot to look up the info I mentioned so here it is:

In Ghost Rail IX State Line Legends by Wayne Cole, page 81 says Porter #35 or the Carbon Limestone Railroad in Bessemer, PA was purchased by the LK&P Railroad in Hawaii as a rebuilt 2-4-0 around 1966. I don't believe that's the locomotives in this thread.

@Dan Kenny posted:

Sam, we were in Maui for our 40th anniversary and saw the station across from our resort the Kaanapoli Beach Hotel now Just a parking lot with some signs and the one in Lahina a bit more touristy. The controls must not be pawnable otherwise they would be gone. Most tourist spot locations on Maui have piles of broken glass which were at one time a car window. If anything of perceived value is visible kiss it goodbye. That's the part of our trip that unfortunately can't forget.

Dan, if the so called piles of broken glass and pawn shops were among your take aways from Maui, I do feel for your wife for putting up with you for so long. 🤣🤣🤣

And it's the end for downtown Lahaina as well, it burned down. The whole strip. Not sure if the train station survived. The LK&P is most likely done for good. What will be the appeal of Maui now, besides the Kaanapali resorts and hotels? The train probably even attracted non-rail buffs and older people. I think there is a tourist train on a different Hawaii island. At least it lasted as long as it did. My late mom's late parents went to Maui in 1984 and another time and rode the train.

@Dan Kenny posted:

While talking about the two on display together, here are some shots inside the cabs. I’m surprised at how intact they look for a static display. The vibe in Maui is just different. There’s no sign of vandals breaking or damaging things. The controls for the turntable in Lahaina are unlocked, but still intact like it was just used yesterday.

Sam, we were in Maui for our 40th anniversary and saw the station across from our resort the Kaanapoli Beach Hotel now Just a parking lot with some signs and the one in Lahina a bit more touristy. The controls must not be pawnable otherwise they would be gone. Most tourist spot locations on Maui have piles of broken glass which were at one time a car window. If anything of perceived value is visible kiss it goodbye. That's the part of our trip that unfortunately can't forget.

Your correct, the islands now reflect the mainland with crime. It’s a real shame, but when you have a society that sets up ultra rich and worker bee’s this is what you get. Poor and lots of them, we have a home on Kauai and let me tell you it’s a beautiful place, but do not look to close, you will not like what you see.

On another note I think we should take a moment to remember those lives lost in this horrific fire, the possible loss of the train/station/rolling stock pales in  comparison.

Although I have no way of confirming it as this time., my guess is the LK&P is now just a fond memory. The town of Lahaina is gone (almost 100% according to most reports) and it will take years to restore the infrastructure and the basics that make up a tourist-related destination like Lahiana once was. I visited there many times during the nearly 17 years that I lived in Honolulu, and rode aboard the LK&P several times. Such a terribly tragic loss of lives, with the number going up by the hour, and destruction of businesses and homes.

I remember Lahaina well, we took the whale watching trip from the town and spent another day just hitting all the scenic spots.  I was greatly saddened by the bleak pictures on the news, it seems like nothing is left except for a couple of buildings that somehow survived the raging fires!

Heh. Now the rich people buying up land will probably buy up where the town was and build homes there. And with the railroad gone, there won't be much draw for tourists anymore. My late grandparents on my late mom's side went to Lahaina maybe in the 80's and rode the train and brought us back a postcard and brochure and took some photos of the train they rode, the Myrtle locomotive with the curved top tender pulled their train. I lost my mom last year on June 14 in the hospital because her lungs were weak. Her dad passed Dec 2000 in his home to colon cancer, and her mom passed Jan 2006 to melanoma in the hospice unit.