STAR-BULLETIN / 1997 Brakeman Willie Ligsay and flagman Dean Gonzales watch the track ahead of them on the historic Oahu Railway and Land Co. line in Ewa. A recent brush fire destroyed about a mile of wooden ties that hold the railroad together.

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Help sought for
Ewa rail repairs

The historical railroad must
replace about 250 ties damaged
in a recent brush fire

The Hawaiian Railway Society is seeking volunteers to put its train back on track.

How to help The Hawaiian Railway Society is looking for volunteers to help replace wooden ties on part of the historic Oahu Railway and Land Co. railroad line in Leeward Oahu. Those interested in volunteering can meet at 91-1001 Renton Road in Ewa at 8 a.m. Saturday. For more information, call the Hawaiian Railway Society at 681-5461.

They are needed to replace burned wooden ties on the historic railroad line, yet another casualty of a brush fire on the Leeward Coast.

"We can use all the help we can get," said Karol Chordas, spokesman for the Hawaiian Railway Society.

The society received a $6,000 donation yesterday from the James Campbell Estate to help replace more than 120 wooden railroad ties on the historic Oahu Railway and Land Co. line, all of them destroyed in a brush fire near Honokai Hale on Saturday. Members said the fire destroyed about a mile of wooden ties that hold the railroad together.

"We are forever grateful to them (Campbell Estate)," Chordas said.

On Sunday, police arrested a 27-year-old woman at Kahe Point Beach Park after they found a beer bottle, filled with an unidentified liquid and a wick protruding from its top, in her car. An empty gas can was also found in her vehicle.

Police described the woman as a "person of interest." She was released pending further investigation after she posted bail.

The first tracks of the railway were built by Benjamin F. Dillingham in 1889. In 10 years, nearly 80 miles of track was constructed.

The line stretched from Honolulu to Iwilei, Pearl City, Kahuku and the Leeward Coast, Chordas said.

The Hawaiian Railway Society was formed in 1970 to preserve what's left of the Oahu Railway & Land Co. line. The remaining railroad track on Oahu stretches from Ewa to Nanakuli. Since the early 1990s, the society has been operating train rides on the Leeward Coast, Chordas said.

Two scheduled 90-minute tours are offered every Sunday. Chartered tours are also available during the week.

Chordas said the brush fire damaged about 250 wooden ties. So far, members have replaced 24 of them. About 170 wooden ties need to be replaced to get the train rides in full operation.

Chordas said he was a bit frustrated when he heard about the railway damage caused by the brush fire. "It's needless what happened out there. We have a huge amount of work ahead of us," he said.

Damage to the railway is estimated at $5,000 to $7,000, Chordas added. "The labor is another matter."

"Everything is manual. We have to pull up what's left of the old ties and dig it out and slide the tie in and respike it," he said.

Despite the damage, the society continued to operate train rides Sunday, but were forced to shorten the 6.5-mile ride that normally runs from Ewa to the Kahe Point Power Plant. The society also accommodated riders by cutting the fare for each person by half.

The damage did not dissuade tourists and residents from taking the train ride. About 140 people showed up Sunday afternoon, Chordas said.

Campbell Estate spokesman Dave Rae said the railway links the past to the present.

"As you build a new city, you need to maintain parts of the past which are appropriate, which add to the ambiance. That's one of them," Rae said.