My friend Victor and I had been talking about going hiking. He has in the past
found interesting things in the hills. Such as a coupler on the slopes of
Diamond Head and railroad rails in the hills above the swamp in Kailua.

Victor called me up a couple of weeks ago and said he met a guy named Steven
that was also interested in hiking. Steven said he knows where there is an
abandoned locomotive. I was thinking to myself "How many times have we heard
that before?" Usually those kinds of comments are followed with vague
descriptions and vague directions on how to find it. But this guy says he can
take us to it. But it is on private property and he will need to get
permission. So we set a date May 30th and Steven will see if he can get
permission.

We wait and we don't hear anything back. So on Saturday Victor calls Steven.
Steven says he lost Victor's phone number, but everything is set up, we have
permission.

Victor and I meet Steven at the designated place and we get into Steven's car
and drive to another place where we meet Larry. Larry is the guy "in charge".

After much palaver we set off. All four of us in an ATV with Larry driving. We
soon come to a shed and Larry gets out and climbs up on a front loader. This is
a big front loader with 6 foot diameter tires and bucket you could park a small
car in. Were off again with Steven driving the ATV and Larry leading on the
front loader. Larry then attacks what turns out to be a berm. We hang back
because Larry is making frequent reverse movements. Suddenly Larry is on the
other side attacking a dead tree. We can't see anything of the front loader as
the shrubbery is too high, but we can see the tops of the tree falling and hear
the cracking of the dead wood. We still hang back until we notice the sound of
the front loader is fading in the distance. We follow in the ATV to find a wide
path of knocked down grass leading off down the ravine. The front loader is
nowhere to be seen or heard. Soon we come to what appears to be a concrete
bridge and the path leads off to the left. It soon becomes apparent we are on
an old railroad right of way.
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/ROW.JPG

After a while Steven stops and says "it's over there" pointing to the other side
of the ravine. We are about 50 feet above the dry stream bed on one side and he
is pointing to the other side. Steven and I go down into the stream bed through
the tall grass. Now I am 6' 2" and most of the time I could not see over the
grass, so I would call that tall grass. We get into the stream bed and follow
it a little ways until we find a boiler. It is a very large boiler obviously
not a locomotive boiler. Probably a stationary boiler. Pictures are at
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/boiler1.JPG
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/boiler2.JPG
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/boiler3.JPG
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/boiler4.JPG
While I am taking pictures Steven is heading down stream and then up the side of
the ravine. I don't see where he went but I can hear him thrashing through the
tall grass. It is thicker in this area. He tells me to stay in the stream bed
until he finds the locomotive.

After a while I don't hear him any more so I holler for him. No response. I
holler for Victor. No response. Uh-oh. I go back up stream. After a while and
a 200 ft I get reunited with Victor and Larry, but where is Steven?

Finally we make contact and get back to Steven. He found the locomotive and has
pictures to prove it. And I was not there!!!!

Pictures are at
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/locos.JPG
http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/images/loco2s.JPG

We are going to make another trip soon. Larry thinks there maybe an easier way
in to the locomotive.

Now you are going to ask me where this is. Larry said we can tell people we
found it; but we can not tell where it is until he confers with his superiors.

I will try to get to the locomotive and see if it fits the description of Puako
as listed in Sugar Trains and document anything more that I can.

I made you read through this long tortuous narrative because I had to go through
a long tortuous journey to get what I got.

Glen