The Kauai Railway is a former

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway company in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was created 1906 and operated a long railroad line with

track from Port Allen, to

Koloa Kōloa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2020 census, up from 1,942 at the 2000 census. The first successful sugarcane plantation in the Hawa ...

and

Kalaheo Kalāheo (literally, "the proud day" in Hawaiian) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, island of Kauai, Hawaii, United States. The population was 4,996 at the 2020 census, up from 3,913 at the 2000 ...

on the south coast of the island of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

. It did not have a connection to the other common carrier railway on the island, the Ahukini Terminal and Railway, although both were built to the same track gauge. Almost all railway trackage on Kauai was connected together due to an agreement with the U.S. Government to interconnect the common carriers and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

railways. The government imposed this as a condition before they would agree to improve the port of Nawiliwili for oceangoing ships. The line was opened 1907. In 1936 the company name was changed to the Kauai Terminal Company. The last train ran 1947, with rail operations replaced by trucks. The company continues to exist as the present-day Kauai Commercial Company.

References

* Drury, George H. (2007) "Hawaiian Railroads", in:

William D. Middleton William D. Middleton (March 25, 1928 – July 10, 2011) was an American reporter, writer and photographer. The majority of his work was on the subject of railroad history and operation. He published over 20 books and approximately 700 articl ...

, George M. Smerk, Roberta L. Diehl (eds.): ''Encyclopedia of North American Railroads.'' Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN/Indianapolis IN. * Walker, Mike. 1998 ''Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America''. Pacific Northwest. * Conde, Jesse C. 1973 ''Sugar Trains''. Big Trees Press.

External links

Kauai Commercial Company
(Official site) 2 ft 6 in gauge railways in Hawaii Defunct Hawaii railroads Transportation in Kauai County, Hawaii Railway companies established in 1906 1906 establishments in Hawaii Railway companies disestablished in 1947 1947 disestablishments in Hawaii American companies established in 1906 American companies disestablished in 1947 {{US-rail-company-stub