Oahu Railway and Land Company
Encyclopedia
The Oahu Railway and Land Company, or OR&L, was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that served much of the Hawaii
an island of Oahu
until its dissolution in 1947.
, a self-made businessman who arrived in Honolulu as a sailor in 1865. After falling from his horse and breaking his leg while riding in the countryside, Dillingham was forced to stay in Hawaii and recuperate. He decided to make the island kingdom his home. Dillingham had a great deal of business acumen and soon became quite wealthy and influential in the early Honolulu community. Among his development ideas, he conceived in the 1870s of the arid Ewa Plain as an excellent location for human settlement. However, there were two problems: a lack of water and, more significantly, a lack of transportation. A trip from Honolulu to the Ewa by horse-drawn wagon was an all-day affair. The key was to build a railroad.
Around the time Dillingham was dreaming of his railroad, another businessman, James Campbell successfully dug Ewa's first artesian well in 1879, effectively solving the water problem. Campbell, who had purchased 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha) of Ewa land thought he might start a cattle ranch, but quickly realized that Ewa's rich volcanic soil (which overlays a massive ancient coral reef
) combined with year-round sunshine and a supply of water was ideal for growing sugar cane. Within a couple of years sugar plantations
were sprouting up in this southwestern part of Oahu. The need for transportation between the harbor and Ewa was becoming essential.
from King David Kalākaua
on September 11, 1888. After securing the capital, Dillingham broke ground in March 1889 with a goal of connecting the 12 miles (19.3 km) between Honolulu and Aiea (as demanded in the charter) by fall 1889. On November 16, 1889, the king's birthday, the OR&L officially opened, giving free rides to more than 4,000 curious people.
By 1892 the line was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long, reaching Ewa sugar mill, home of Dillingham's Ewa Plantation Company property. Although progress stalled during the chaos of the late Kingdom and early Republican
periods, by 1895 the railroad had passed through what would become the junction of Waipahu, traversed the Ewa plain, and was skirting the Waianae coast to a sugar mill there. After issuing gold bonds in January 1897 the company extended the railroad around Oahu's rugged Kaena Point to Haleiwa on the north shore by June 1897, where Dillingham built a hotel. By December 1898 the main line was complete, stretching past Waimea Bay
and Sunset Beach all the way to Kahuku and the Kahuku sugar mill past the island's northernmost tip. Although a circle-island line was proposed, it was never seriously considered. In 1906 an 11 miles (17.7 km) branch line was constructed from Waipahu up the Waikakalua Gulch to Wahiawa and the pineapple
fields of central Oahu. The railroad had taken its final shape.
, and served the major military bases: Pearl Harbor
, Hickam Field, Barber's Point Naval Air Station
, Schofield Barracks, and Wheeler Army Airfield
. The railroad was profitable, even during the Great Depression
, and was a significant mode of communications and transportation until the 1930s. As with railroads in the mainland, private automobiles and public roads led to a decline in traffic, especially passengers. Leading up to World War II
the OR&L had all but abandoned its passenger operations, focusing on its profitable freight operations.
, the OR&L became a major player in wartime transportation. The railroad carried out its regular freight operations as well as handling massive amounts of military-related traffic. The OR&L became the chief transporter of civilian base workers, sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines, both from Honolulu to their bases, or from those bases back to Honolulu for coveted R&R
. In 1944 and 1945 the OR&L carried nearly two million riders.
that struck on April 1, 1946.
Overlooked by most historians is the fact that from September 1, 1946, through November 18, 1946, 22,000 sugar workers struck 33 of Hawaii's 34 sugar plantations.
Only the Gay & Robinson Plantation on Kauai remained in operation—it was non-union and privately owned, and is one of only two that remain in operation today (the other is Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar on Maui). The strike had a major impact on Hawaii, and OR&L's freight dropped to record lows. Although the OR&L rebuilt the tracks destroyed by the tsunami and continued operations during the strike, the decision was made to shut down the entire operation at the end of that year. On December 31, 1947, a final excursion carrying company President Walter F. Dillingham
(Benjamin Dillingham's son), along with numerous guests, departed from Kahuku behind American Locomotive Company
steam engine number 70 through 71.4 miles (114.9 km) of countryside back to the Honolulu station. The OR&L was finished after fifty-eight years. The OR&L replaced its railroad with a truck transport operation.
Most of the system was dismantled in the years following the company's dissolution, although the double-tracked mainline from Honolulu to Aiea remained intact until around 1959. Four of the locomotives, 250 freight cars, and a huge quantity of track and supplies were sold to an El Salvador
an railroad in 1950. The Hibiscus & Heliconia Short Line Railroad (H&HSL RR) was formed in 1948 by local rail fans and modelers. Ben Dillingham gave the group a 1st class coach #47 and an observation car #48, formerly the private parlor car named Pearl. The Kahuku Plantation Co. allowed the group to use their tracks from near Kawela Bay to Punaluu. The group ran excursions infrequently, renting a steam locomotive from Kahuku Plantation. In 1950, the last steam locomotive was retired and the H&HSL RR then used one of two ex-Navy diesels. In 1954, the plantation abandoned its railroad in favor of trucks thus ending the H&HSL RR. Due to a lack of money and enthusiasm the group was unable to remove their two coaches from the property, so a plantation official had them torched. The OR&L's Honolulu harbor branch, renamed the Oahu Railway, was used until December 31, 1971 for industrial operations. It served a Kalihi
stockyard (until 1961), but chiefly hauled incoming Molokai
pineapples from the wharves to the Libby, McNeil and Libby
and California Packing Corporation (Del Monte
) canning plants. The final section of the line was taken over by the US Navy in 1950. The Navy, especially during the Korean War
and the Vietnam War
, ran ammunition trains between the West Loch of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, through the Ewa Plain, to the Lualualei Naval Ammunition Depot on the Waianae coast, preserving one of the most famous and scenic stretches of the railroad. The Navy switched to trucks, and the railroad property was abandoned in 1970.
(HRS) in 1970. Nicholas Carter, a charter member of the HRS and one of its founders worked with others in the early 1970s, nominating the former OR&L mainline from Ewa to Nānākuli to the National Register of Historic Places
. On December 1, 1975, U.S. Senator Hiram Fong
reported that this had been done. Today the tracks are owned by the State of Hawaii, while the HRS is the line's caretaker. The HRS continues to maintain and extend the right-of-way while running excursion trains from its station in Ewa. Currently, trains are scheduled for Sunday afternoons, running past the new Second City of Kapolei, through the heart of the Koolina golf resort, and up the Waianae Coast, presently only as far as Kahe Point. However, the tracks east of Fort Weaver Road have been pulled up, so trains can only operate on the line west of that.
Three cars were preserved at Travel Town Museum
in Griffith Park
, California. Coach #1, combination car
#36 and caboose
#1, all built circa 1900 at the OR&L shops, were donated to the museum by the OR&L in 1953.
was invented by Joseph Kekuku
when he picked up a railroad spike and slid along the strings of his guitar whilst walking beside the line in the 1880s, perhaps the line of this very railroad.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
until its dissolution in 1947.
Origin
The OR&L was founded by Benjamin DillinghamBenjamin Dillingham
Benjamin Franklin Dillingham was a businessman and industrialist during the late Kingdom of Hawaii era, throughout the period of the Republic of Hawaii, and during the first two decades of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:...
, a self-made businessman who arrived in Honolulu as a sailor in 1865. After falling from his horse and breaking his leg while riding in the countryside, Dillingham was forced to stay in Hawaii and recuperate. He decided to make the island kingdom his home. Dillingham had a great deal of business acumen and soon became quite wealthy and influential in the early Honolulu community. Among his development ideas, he conceived in the 1870s of the arid Ewa Plain as an excellent location for human settlement. However, there were two problems: a lack of water and, more significantly, a lack of transportation. A trip from Honolulu to the Ewa by horse-drawn wagon was an all-day affair. The key was to build a railroad.
Around the time Dillingham was dreaming of his railroad, another businessman, James Campbell successfully dug Ewa's first artesian well in 1879, effectively solving the water problem. Campbell, who had purchased 40000 acres (16,187.4 ha) of Ewa land thought he might start a cattle ranch, but quickly realized that Ewa's rich volcanic soil (which overlays a massive ancient coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
) combined with year-round sunshine and a supply of water was ideal for growing sugar cane. Within a couple of years sugar plantations
Sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
were sprouting up in this southwestern part of Oahu. The need for transportation between the harbor and Ewa was becoming essential.
Early phase of OR&L
While Dillingham's dream of large-scale settlement on the Ewa Plain would have to wait until the last decades of the twentieth century, his plan for a railroad to the area came together quickly. He leased Campbell's Ewa and Kahuku land to start two sugar plantations and obtained a government railroad charterCharter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
from King David Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
on September 11, 1888. After securing the capital, Dillingham broke ground in March 1889 with a goal of connecting the 12 miles (19.3 km) between Honolulu and Aiea (as demanded in the charter) by fall 1889. On November 16, 1889, the king's birthday, the OR&L officially opened, giving free rides to more than 4,000 curious people.
By 1892 the line was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long, reaching Ewa sugar mill, home of Dillingham's Ewa Plantation Company property. Although progress stalled during the chaos of the late Kingdom and early Republican
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
periods, by 1895 the railroad had passed through what would become the junction of Waipahu, traversed the Ewa plain, and was skirting the Waianae coast to a sugar mill there. After issuing gold bonds in January 1897 the company extended the railroad around Oahu's rugged Kaena Point to Haleiwa on the north shore by June 1897, where Dillingham built a hotel. By December 1898 the main line was complete, stretching past Waimea Bay
Waimea Bay, Hawaii
Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of O‘ahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends behind Waimea Bay. Waimea means "Red Water" in Hawaiian.-History:...
and Sunset Beach all the way to Kahuku and the Kahuku sugar mill past the island's northernmost tip. Although a circle-island line was proposed, it was never seriously considered. In 1906 an 11 miles (17.7 km) branch line was constructed from Waipahu up the Waikakalua Gulch to Wahiawa and the pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
fields of central Oahu. The railroad had taken its final shape.
OR&L to World War II
The OR&L was not only a sugar cane railroad. While it served several sugar mills and plantations, it also hauled end products, equipment and workers. The sugar plantations sometimes had their own lines. As a common carrier, the OR&L carried freight, passengers, mail and parcels. For instance, besides sugar and pineapples, the railroad hauled garbage from Honolulu to a dump on the Waianae Coast, sand from Waianae to Honolulu during the development of WaikikiWaikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
, and served the major military bases: Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Hickam Field, Barber's Point Naval Air Station
Kalaeloa Airport
Kalaeloa Airport , also called John Rodgers Field and formerly Naval Air Station Barbers Point, is a joint civil-military regional airport of the State of Hawaii established on July 1, 1999 to replace the Ford Island NALF facilities which closed on June 30 of the same year...
, Schofield Barracks, and Wheeler Army Airfield
Wheeler Army Airfield
Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
. The railroad was profitable, even during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and was a significant mode of communications and transportation until the 1930s. As with railroads in the mainland, private automobiles and public roads led to a decline in traffic, especially passengers. Leading up to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the OR&L had all but abandoned its passenger operations, focusing on its profitable freight operations.
OR&L and World War II
World War II was arguably the OR&L's most important period, but would prove to be the company's undoing. After the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, the OR&L became a major player in wartime transportation. The railroad carried out its regular freight operations as well as handling massive amounts of military-related traffic. The OR&L became the chief transporter of civilian base workers, sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines, both from Honolulu to their bases, or from those bases back to Honolulu for coveted R&R
R&R (military)
R&R, military slang for rest and recuperation , is a term used for the free time of a soldier in the US military or International UN staff serving in non-family duty stations. R&R includes various forms, including mail, sports, film screenings, using the services of prostitutes and leave time...
. In 1944 and 1945 the OR&L carried nearly two million riders.
Postwar finale
By the end of the war most of the rolling stock, right-of-way, and facilities were worn out. The company's executives pondered whether or not to continue operations. With the end of hostilities wartime traffic dried up. Moreover, Oahu's road network had been upgraded significantly, and thus for the first time there was serious road competition. The company plugged along for the remainder of 1945 and into 1946 transporting servicemen. Nevertheless, passenger traffic and gross revenues dropped more than fifty percent. The railroad's fate was sealed by the 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake and the resulting 55 feet (16.8 m) tsunamiTsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
that struck on April 1, 1946.
Overlooked by most historians is the fact that from September 1, 1946, through November 18, 1946, 22,000 sugar workers struck 33 of Hawaii's 34 sugar plantations.
Only the Gay & Robinson Plantation on Kauai remained in operation—it was non-union and privately owned, and is one of only two that remain in operation today (the other is Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar on Maui). The strike had a major impact on Hawaii, and OR&L's freight dropped to record lows. Although the OR&L rebuilt the tracks destroyed by the tsunami and continued operations during the strike, the decision was made to shut down the entire operation at the end of that year. On December 31, 1947, a final excursion carrying company President Walter F. Dillingham
Walter F. Dillingham
Walter Francis Dillingham , called the Baron of Hawaii Industry, was an industrialist and businessman from Honolulu, Hawaii.He gained favors from Hawaii politicians to develop urban Honolulu.-Life:...
(Benjamin Dillingham's son), along with numerous guests, departed from Kahuku behind American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
steam engine number 70 through 71.4 miles (114.9 km) of countryside back to the Honolulu station. The OR&L was finished after fifty-eight years. The OR&L replaced its railroad with a truck transport operation.
Most of the system was dismantled in the years following the company's dissolution, although the double-tracked mainline from Honolulu to Aiea remained intact until around 1959. Four of the locomotives, 250 freight cars, and a huge quantity of track and supplies were sold to an El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
an railroad in 1950. The Hibiscus & Heliconia Short Line Railroad (H&HSL RR) was formed in 1948 by local rail fans and modelers. Ben Dillingham gave the group a 1st class coach #47 and an observation car #48, formerly the private parlor car named Pearl. The Kahuku Plantation Co. allowed the group to use their tracks from near Kawela Bay to Punaluu. The group ran excursions infrequently, renting a steam locomotive from Kahuku Plantation. In 1950, the last steam locomotive was retired and the H&HSL RR then used one of two ex-Navy diesels. In 1954, the plantation abandoned its railroad in favor of trucks thus ending the H&HSL RR. Due to a lack of money and enthusiasm the group was unable to remove their two coaches from the property, so a plantation official had them torched. The OR&L's Honolulu harbor branch, renamed the Oahu Railway, was used until December 31, 1971 for industrial operations. It served a Kalihi
Kalihi
thumb|300px|Historically, Kalihi was an [[ahupua'a|ahupuaʻa]], or area of land ruled by chief or king and managed by the members of the [[alii|alii]]Kalihi is a neighborhood community of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, United States...
stockyard (until 1961), but chiefly hauled incoming Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
pineapples from the wharves to the Libby, McNeil and Libby
Libby's
Libby's is a U.S.-based food company known for its canned food.The company was founded as Libby, McNeill & Libby in Chicago, Illinois, by Archibald McNeill and the brothers Arthur and Charles Libby. The business began with a canned meat product, beef in brine, or corned beef...
and California Packing Corporation (Del Monte
Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6...
) canning plants. The final section of the line was taken over by the US Navy in 1950. The Navy, especially during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, ran ammunition trains between the West Loch of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, through the Ewa Plain, to the Lualualei Naval Ammunition Depot on the Waianae coast, preserving one of the most famous and scenic stretches of the railroad. The Navy switched to trucks, and the railroad property was abandoned in 1970.
Historic preservation
In that same year a small group of railroad fans on Oahu learned of the abandonment and petitioned the Navy to turn the line and equipment over to them. This body became the Hawaiian Railway SocietyHawaiian Railway
The Hawaiian Railway' Society is a heritage railroad located in Ewa, Hawaii, USA.In 1970 two important events took place. First, Waialua Agricultural Co. announced that they planned to scrap their 0-6-2T locomotive No. 6 because rust and deterioration had reduced the engine to an unsightly...
(HRS) in 1970. Nicholas Carter, a charter member of the HRS and one of its founders worked with others in the early 1970s, nominating the former OR&L mainline from Ewa to Nānākuli to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. On December 1, 1975, U.S. Senator Hiram Fong
Hiram Fong
Hiram Leong Fong , born Yau Leong Fong , was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such...
reported that this had been done. Today the tracks are owned by the State of Hawaii, while the HRS is the line's caretaker. The HRS continues to maintain and extend the right-of-way while running excursion trains from its station in Ewa. Currently, trains are scheduled for Sunday afternoons, running past the new Second City of Kapolei, through the heart of the Koolina golf resort, and up the Waianae Coast, presently only as far as Kahe Point. However, the tracks east of Fort Weaver Road have been pulled up, so trains can only operate on the line west of that.
Three cars were preserved at Travel Town Museum
Travel Town Museum
Travel Town Museum is a transport museum within Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California.Travel Town was dedicated on December 14, 1952. There is no charge for museum admission or parking...
in Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
, California. Coach #1, combination car
Combine car
A combine car in North American parlance, most often referred to simply as a combine, is a type of railroad car which combines sections for both passengers and freight....
#36 and caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
#1, all built circa 1900 at the OR&L shops, were donated to the museum by the OR&L in 1953.
Steel guitar
It is alleged that the steel guitarSteel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
was invented by Joseph Kekuku
Joseph Kekuku
-Biography:Kekuku was born in Lāie, a village on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaii. As a boy, he would experiment with guitar technique, sliding ordinary household objects across the strings to see what sounds could be produced. By the time he was an adult, he had developed a unique style of playing...
when he picked up a railroad spike and slid along the strings of his guitar whilst walking beside the line in the 1880s, perhaps the line of this very railroad.