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Hawaii Train Rides and Excursion Trains

The Aloha State, long regarded as a tropical paradise and fun in the sun, is not usually thought of for having railroads. However, there are Hawaii train rides available believe it or not, as the state once was home to quite a network of trains serving local businesses and sugar plantations. Today, you have a choice of three different excursion trains to ride the Hawaiian Railway, Kauai Plantation Railway, and Lahaina, Kaanapali & Pacific Railroad better known as the Sugar Cane Train. All three feature just very short rides although they all offer visitors a chance to experience part of Hawaii's history most folks never even knew about. The information provided here gives just a brief glimpse of the state's tourist trains offering their contact information to learn more about them.

Hawaiian railroading is rich in history albeit little of it remains in place today. For instance, before the tsunami of April 1, 1946 struck the big island of Hawaii featured a main line, standard gauge railroad (the Hawaiian Consolidated Railway) that was double-tracked in some areas and signaled. Today, the main island features no trains (although Honolulu will soon have light rail service) with the state's three small tourist trains operating on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. The Sugar Cane Train is the state's most popular offer visitors a few miles of rebuilt sugar-plantation rails and featuring a small fleet of narrow-gauge steam locomotives. They have also since expanded to accommodate large group events, including wedding parties. In any event, all Hawaii train rides have something to offer and if you have the chance while visiting the state on vacation (unless, of course, you live on the island) I would highly recommend taking the time to ride one of its railroads.

Hawaii Train Rides And Excursion Trains

Hawaiian Railway

The Hawaiian Railway, based in Ewa, Hawaii on the island of Oahu is actually a historical society which operates a short 90-minute train ride on a former stretch of the Oahu Railway & Land Company. During the journey you will hear about the history of this railroad and the sugar cane operations that were once prolific in the area. The train operates every Sunday except Christmas Eve and Day. For more information about making a visit please click here.

Kauai Plantation Railway

The Kauai Plantation Railway is based in Lihue, Hawaii on the island of Kauai. A relatively new tourist train it operates a 2.5-mile section of former Kauai Railroad right-of-way. As of now it uses a Whitcomb diesel locomotive for power but plans to restore steam locomotives that were original to the narrow-gauge line for use on the railroad. For more information about making a visit please click here.

Lahaina Kaanapali Railroad (Sugar Cane Train)

The Lahaina Kaanapali Railroad, better known as the Sugar Cane Train, is helping to keep alive, bring back, and revitalize Hawaii's rich railroading history. The little tourist line, located on the Island of Maui, has been in operation since 1969 when the Sugar Cane Train was started that year by A.W. "Mac" McKelvy. As when it was started the Lahaina, Kaanapali & Pacific Railroad (as it is officially known) operates over six miles of narrow-gauge railroad which connects Lahaina to Puukolii. While the LK&P is certainly no Strasburg or Napa Valley Wine Train in the many and/or luxurious services/trains offered it still is a unique and interesting operation in a tropical setting that, interestingly enough, was once teaming with railroads (which will learn about while on your trip). For more information about making a visit please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Tourist Railroads Section

To learn more about the history of Hawaii's railroads please click here. Also, for more information about Hawaii train rides you might want to consider the book Tourist Trains Guidebook, which is put together by the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The guide below is the latest, released in just April, 2011 that now includes more than 470 museums and tourist trains (it also lists all of Alabama's rail museums). In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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