Next Stop Honolulu! The Story of the Oahu Railway & Land Company

"Next Stop Honolulu" is the story of the Oahu Railway & Land Company, a narrow-gauge railroad that served the island and its residents for nearly 60 years. It enabled (and was made possible by) the sugar and pineapple industries that were the economic engine of Hawaii in the early days. The train also made Honolulu accessible to and from the rest of the Island for passengers and freight.

In addition to taking raw sugar to the docks and pineapples to the canneries, it hauled garbage to the dump, South Seas guano fertilizer to plantations, coral concrete to construction sites, landfill to lagoons, oil and gasoline and on and on. During and prior to each war it hauled shore guns to batteries, ammunition to bases and depots and ships, and soldiers and sailors to the downtown bars and brothels. It had 4 heavy Mikado locomotives (sisters to those still on the Durango line in Colorado) and a host of other steam locomotives.

The Oahu Railway was one of the most sophisticated narrow-gauge lines in the country, featuring automatic block signals, a double tracked mainline, and helper engine service on the steep grade to Wahiawa.

"Next Stop Honolulu" is a definitive history of the Oahu Railway, but is also a lens through which to view and understand the history of Hawaii across an era that took the Islands from a sleepy whaling port to a key part of the US, poised for statehood. It contains a rich selection of photographs, drawings, and newspaper clips that tell the story in the words of the day.

This book will delight those with an interest in Hawaiian history, as well as rail fans and modelers. Keywords: Hawaiian Railroads, Oahu Railway, Railroads in Hawaii, Hawaii transportation history.