I’ve Been Working On The Railroad

Willy Ligsay hits the rails several times a week as train engineer for the Hawaiian Railway Society

Willy Ligsay Title: Train engineer Job: Drives the Hawaiian Railway Society's "423" in Ewa, plus does maintenance and other work on the track and around the rail yard

Willy Ligsay has serendipity to thank for his current job. He chose community service over paying off some traffic fines, and that's how 10 years ago he came to work for the Hawaiian Railway Society.

Ligsay drives the nonprofit group's diesel locomotive for tourists and others who want to view the Ewa Plain from the seat of a rail car. Before joining the society, Ligsay had worked as a bartender in Waikiki, which he learned how to do by attending the Hawaii Bartending Academy. Before that he had taken trade courses at Cannon's School of Business, after graduating from Campbell High School in Ewa Beach.

Ligsay said he enjoyed the bartender's life -- "I got to do all that going-out thing" -- but, he added, he's not as young as he used to be.

"Now it's kind of hard. Your body gets kind of run down. I can't do all those things anymore."

On the upside, his current job is a lot closer to where he lives.

"I don't miss the traffic," he said. "I can wake up five minutes before my (train) ride and come to work."

Ligsay, 45, is single and lives in Ewa Plantation.

Question: What is your work title?

Answer: Train engineer

Q: What exactly do you do?

A: I drive the train during rides -- during the weekday rides and the Sunday rides -- and if there's no ride, I do odds and ends around the yard, like service the train, do track work...

Q: You work on the track?

A: Yeah, every second Saturday of the month, with volunteers.

Q: What kind of a train is it?

A: It's a Whitcomb locomotive, a diesel locomotive.

Q: What's the history behind this particular locomotive? Do you know?

A: It was many years with the military, for freight. We have two trains right now: the 302 -- right now we're overhauling the 302, so it's all in parts right now; and the 423, that's the one we're using for the train rides. Both were trains used by the military.

Q: The military here in Hawaii?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you know where they went from and to in those days?

A: I'm not sure.

Q: World War II or World War I or what?

A: Well, they were built in 1944.

Q: How many cars does the train have and how many passengers can they carry?

A: We put on five (cars) on a regular train ride, and every second Sunday we put on the parlor car -- it's called a 64 car. It was Walter Dillingham's private car. Someone restored it. It took 'em seven years to put everything back together. It seats 15.

Q: Who gets to ride that?

A: Well, it costs $20. It's a nice ride, though -- very nice and smooth.

Q: How much does a regular ride cost?

A: $10 for adults, $7 for children, and senior citizens are $7.

Q: Where did the other rail cars come from?

A: Those were flat cars, and we turned them into passenger (cars) with a roof and seats.

Q: How many miles does the track cover and where does it go?

A: It goes all the way down to the (Hawaiian Electric) electrical power plant, down by Nanakuli. Roughly, I think the track is, like, seven miles.

Q: One way there and one way back, or is it a circle?

A: I go forward one way, and then backwards coming home.

Q: How often do you take the train out for a ride?

A: Every Sunday, and during the week we have excursions for the kids, like in the schools.

Q: Do you meet a lot of interesting people on the rides?

A: Yeah. Sometimes there's a lot of locals that come down. And now there's a lot of tourists. Lot of time, people from foreign countries, they go, "Hey, I didn't know you had a train here." A lot of local kids come here. They didn't know it was here. I live five minutes from here and I didn't know it was here for the longest time. People are still finding out about the train.

Q: Do you narrate for the passengers as the train travels along?

A: There's a narrator on board, who speaks about the history of the train.

Q: Is that a volunteer?

A: On Sunday it's paid; I think during the weekdays it's volunteers. We're still looking for people to come in and volunteer to help out.

Q: What does the narrator say?

A: He gives the history as we go along the track -- what was alongside of the track and what businesses were there a long time ago.

Q: When you're on the ride, how many other people are with you?

A: I have my flagman, my brakeman, my narrator and me.

Q: Where did you learn how to drive a train?

A: I came here for community service. I did some 300 hours in 1996. Then I got laid off at the hotel where I was working, and then there was an opening for the flagman, and I got that. Then eventually I moved up to brakeman, and then, later on, the engineer had to be replaced, so I applied for it, got training and was certified, and then I started doing the rides after that.

Q: Who trained you?

A: The vice president of the association, Larry Howard.

Q: So what's involved, really, in doing your job?

A: In the beginning of the shift, you take out the train, make sure the brakes are working, and do a check of all the fluids of the train. Then just put down the step stool, wipe down, clean up around the seats -- basic cleaning around. Takes maybe about a half hour, but they give us an hour, and then just wait for the passengers to get on.

Q: Do you have to wear a special uniform or anything?

A: Yeah, we have overalls -- the blue-and-white-stripped overalls -- the kind you see on TV. (Laughter) And the same pattern on the hat. Also the red scarf, though that's kind of optional now.

Q: When you're cruising along, what's involved with that?

A: We have a total of an hour and half to make the ride, so I go about 11 miles an hour on the train, all the way there and back. I try to make nice smooth stops and not jerk the train, because there's space between the cars where the couples are, and don't want to damage them or make a lot of noise.

Q: Do you make stops along the way?

A: There at the hotel area (the Ihilani Resort & Spa), if they call and ask for us to pick up people, we will stop and pick them up and then drop them off back at the hotel.

Q: Do you help make repairs on the train, too?

A: We have a head maintenance guy who does the major work. If I can troubleshoot or fix, I'll do it, but if it's beyond my reach, I'll give it over to the maintenance guy, or Larry Howard.

Q: Who's the maintenance guy?

A: John Deyeso.

Q: Do you have any favorite train songs?

A: (Laughter) Not really. Never thought about.

Q: When you go on vacation, like on the mainland or somewhere, do you go check out the local trains?

A: Yeah. I went to New Hampshire to catch the train up to Mount Washington, but, damn, it was expensive. Almost $60. Plus we had five of us in the car, so that would have been $300. So we decided to just drive up there. But it's a real steam locomotive that goes up the hill very slow. And it looks very odd because the boiler is in a very awkward position.

Q: Do you play with model trains at home?

A: No. I have the big thing out here in the yard.

Q: Do you know how big the whole yard is?

A: About four acres.

Q: I heard you also help out during the Christmas season with the Pearlridge Express at Pearlridge Center (a small train that runs inside the mall).

A: Yeah, I been there for six years, ever since it started. It's nice up there.

Q: What do you like best about your job?

A: A little freedom. Except for when I have to come in for the train rides, I can come and go as I please, as long as I get the job done. It's not like an 8-to-4 job, where I got to be here all that time. I get in about 60 hours every two weeks. That's enough for me. My house finished paid already. (Laughter)