If you are visiting the Garden Isle on the second Thursday of
each month, you will have the opportunity to experience one of
the best things to do on Kauai. Riding the last of Hawaii’s
sugarcane trains. Some of which are more than one hundred years
old, the four narrow gauge locomotives were responsible for
hauling millions of tons of sugarcane to the sugar mills for
nearly 50 years. They are in remarkable condition which attests
to the quality of their manufacture, and the hours of work by
Hawaii railroad buffs to keep them running. A debt of gratitude
and acknowledgement to her foresight must go to the late Ms.
Mabel Wilcox, who decided in the 1970′s that these steam engines
were part of Kauai’s sugar legacy and should be preserved. It
was her decision and tenacity, despite the grumblings of family
members, who wanted to sell the then derelict locomotives to the
Disney company for 500 dollars each. Sugarcane cultivation is no
longer an industry on Kauai, however for 150 years it was the
number one employer