11-25-2007, 04:07 PM
April 1st, 1946 at 7:30 AM the tsunami which started up near Alaska came down and hit Hawaii Island. It wiped out the Japanese village of Shinmachi (where the soccer fields in downtown Hilo are) with great loss of life, wiped out the school in Laupahoehoe killing many children and teachers AND took out the train station, equipment and tracks in Hilo. It also wiped out many bridges along the Hamakua coast.
The train used to run from Pahoa through Hilo and up the coast to Pauuilo. There was a rock quarry in Puna, a big lumber company as well as the sugar up and down the coast. The high school kids would take the train into Hilo town to go to school and the middle school kids would go to local schools.
It would be nice to have the railroad functional again. Maybe just light rail going alongside the highway from Pahoa to Hilo and Volcano then up the coast and around to Waimea and Kona eventually.
Edited by - hotzcatz on 11/25/2007 20:09:19
The train used to run from Pahoa through Hilo and up the coast to Pauuilo. There was a rock quarry in Puna, a big lumber company as well as the sugar up and down the coast. The high school kids would take the train into Hilo town to go to school and the middle school kids would go to local schools.
It would be nice to have the railroad functional again. Maybe just light rail going alongside the highway from Pahoa to Hilo and Volcano then up the coast and around to Waimea and Kona eventually.
Edited by - hotzcatz on 11/25/2007 20:09:19
Kurt Wilson