John Goldie of the Railroad Museum of California on Tuesday changed his flight departure time to accommodate the train tour by Kaipu 3 at the Haleko Locomotive Training Park.
Goldie was among the first of the 25 passengers to ride the oldest operating steam locomotive in Hawaii since the 100th anniversary blessing last week.
“My wife’s been very patient,” he said. “She’s been waiting in the car. I guess I need to get her some lunch.”
Grove Farm Engineer Scott Johnson said the first load of passengers was coordinated by Ike Cockett at the Grove Farm Museum. Following the 20-minute tour, Johnson said he was shutting down the locomotive.
During the blessing, Grove Farm said there will be future train days on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but no start times were provided.
Kaipu 3 is the first of four locomotives owned by Grove Farm that has been restored to operating condition.
Built in 1925 for the Hawaiian Sugar Company on Kauai’s West Side, the Grove Farm Company acquired Kaipu in 1945 and used the locomotive as its No. 3 locomotive. The 26-ton dry weight engine was named for George Wilcox’s right-hand man who was one of the first workers at Grove Farm.
The next event on the Grove Farm Museum calendar is the free movie night coming up on Friday from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Nawiliwili Road museum.
The public is invited to spend a night on the lawn of the big house where the setting sun and cooling breezes sets the stage for the family fun experience.
Since the gates open at 6 p.m. there is time for guests to explore the main house, and visit the “newly refreshed” gift shop for unique Hawaii-made items and souvenirs.
The feature film, “Captain America: Brave New World,” starts at 7:30 p.m. following historic film clips of Kauai.
For more information, visit www.grovefarm.org.
Source: The Garden Island