Hawaiian Railway Society

If you have kids this train ride experience is really fun!
It’s a bit pricy though, but watching the kids have a blast is the main thing.
12.00 for what seems like an hour and ha km f train ride it was really hot. but just brig snacks and water and shades or hats.
They also have a little snack stand as well… which you can purchase things from but I think it’s cash ony. Come early for parking and to buy your tickets and stand in line… if there’s no room but you have a ticket most likely you won’t get on… the views are okay and it’s fun waving at ppl… as we pass but it’d more for the younger kids than anything.
I like how they make you get up and change sides though with your train cart so you can experience both views over ALL I’ll come back for the kids

1 star for the cool train theme. Made it on a day it was crowded. However, a lady and her family got on the train that was in line BEHIND me because she was from Australia. It would have been totally fine for us to give up our seat had anyone ASKED but it was not until I saw the lady and her family walk past me to enter the train that I realized what happened. She was able to purchase tickets and board and not one employee said anything until AFTER I asked why I had not been able to board. My child cried all the way home from Ewa to Kailua because she missed her train ride.

I came here on a field trip with a group of children from the ages 3 and 5. It was pretty cool to see the trains and to go inside the warehouse to see what goes on behind the scenes. However, this is not something that I would recommend for such age group. The tour can be very long and feel like forever for children since it is not as interactive as they would like.

We just finished the 3 pm ice cream train ride on Saturdays :) Our 5 year old daughter loved it! At first there isn’t a lot to see but still some great history. Once you hit the resorts past Kapolei, the scenery is beautiful and a nice stretch by the ocean. On the way back we stopped at Two Scoops ice cream parlor by the Aulani Disney Resort and got some delicious ice cream! Over all I highly recommend you do this! Best kept secret Ewa has!

Our experience was amazing we had so much fun everyone that worked there was so nice. I recommend the 3 pm ride because you can stop for ice cream. The train is well kept and comfortable. The views are amazing something everyone should do when visiting the island.

This is a review for the Spookapaloza Halloween Event. We had an awesome fun time and would definitely come back next year and hopefully bring family along with us. I don’t know if it was the country vibe with everyone being so relaxed and friendly, or the workers that must have put a lot of time & effort into making it such a great event but it made the event even that much better. I would definitely recommend this for parents with young kids looking for something Disney scary to take their kids to. The ride was about 30 minutes long. If you do decide to go next year make sure to make reservations WAY in advance since it does get booked fast and on the day of the event make sure to arrive early at least 2 hours since parking does fill up fast.

Debating what to do on those Sunday FunDays? Well, you can always take a nice, relaxing ride on a train and take in the beautiful views of Ewa, Kapolei, and Waianae.
Ok. I’ll be honest. The views in the beginning are not much to look at. It’s just dried up vegetation, dirt, and housing development. But the whole nostalgic feel of the train ride makes up for it.
The scenery takes a turn when the train starts passing through Koolina. And then it gets really beautiful when you reach the beach. Very breathtaking.
It’s too bad the route is not a loop because when you head back you’ll be looking at the same views. So, it’s a good idea that you sit on the opposite side so you don’t get bored.
There is a snack shop, but they do allow you to bring food and drinks on the train. However, I wouldn’t recommend drinking a lot on the ride just in case you might need to go to the bathroom. Ride is 90 min long and there are no bathrooms on the train.

Cash only, parking is a pain, and you have you buy your tickets early.
However, riding this nostalgic train is awesome. Great sights, great experience for the kids.
Tips: They let you bring food and drink on, so plan ahead. The seats are wood and kind of uncomfortable. Bring a pillow or pad to sit on, as the ride is roughly 90 minutes. The speaker system can’t compete with the loud train. Do yourself a favor and try and position yourself near a speaker, if you can, so you can enjoy the tour. When the train reaches the half way point of the tour, then heads back, you’ll be asked to switch to the other side so you can enjoy a different view. Plan accordingly.

Pretty awesome place to check out over on the Leeward Side of Oahu. Didn’t even think in years past that there were any kinds of trains around here (not counting the new railway system that’s coming up and causing all sort of traffic chaos and jams as of April 2014). It’s $ 12.00 for a 90-​minute round trip ride, which may seem like a lot but it’s not too shabby at all. The trains operate only on Sundays at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Try to get there early to purchase your tickets, as they tend to be pretty popular and sell out rather quickly.
Not too bad a location to find; location and directions are also available on their website. The gift shop isn’t big at all but there are some other model trains out near the parking lots to walk by and check out while waiting. There are other small picnic areas nearby.
The guide on board the train was very informative and knowledgeable about the history of the area, but sometimes it was a bit hard to hear his voice over the train’s noises. The seats on the train face out to the sides, but regardless of where you’re sitting, you are guaranteed some fabulous views of the ocean and mountain. Along the way are houses, a Costco, and Ko Olina (Disney hotel and golf courses) and the Kahe Point Beach. When we reached the Kahe Beach and went back the other way, we were requested to change seats; in other words, we went around to the other side within our respective car. No, we should not get off the train, as the guide mentioned, otherwise we’d have to take TheBus Line 40 back to Ewa Beach.
Overall, a nice train ride, though it did take up a majority of the day however.

I was told about this place by a co-​worker and decided to check it out. Not hard to find, parking is kinda tight but it wasn’t what I expected. My toddler loves trains and I thought this would be fun, they have a train ride (90-​min) and after reading previous reviews decided against it because if you have an active toddler like mine there is no telling if they would sit still for that long.
They had older trains to look at but nothing with the «ooh ahh» appeal. Gift shop was anything desiring and I guess one if the workers there had their son at work, he stood in the way of my son as if not letting him climb up to check out one if the trains. I’m thinking where is your mother? Because he needed some home training. My husband had to «ask» him twice if my son could go through and reluctantly he obliged.
After 35 min there we left and came home.
I’d like to take the train ride but that’s the only thing that would make me return but as of now not so much…,

The folks who work here are very friendly and knowledgable about the area history. They were also attentive with assisting the elderly in safely boarding the train.
The person sharing the area history was informative and interesting, although I wish we could hear him better over the noise of the train.

Awesome wholesome place. My son enjoys the train rides and could stay there from morning to night if he was allowed too. He loves trains!
You get to learn about the history of the railway in Hawaii and how the shaka was created. And you get to bring food and drinks on the ride. Yes, if you sit mountain side you do see houses, Costco etc. But you also get to see the beauty of the island the mountains and blue skies. And if you’re lucky, you get to see some horses in the open fields! They make you change seats when you reach Kahe point and you get to see the ocean and Disney hotel as well as the other hotel there.
My son, myself and my parents all went. We all had an awesome time and the workers there are awesome.
Highly recommend!

It was train day for the lil guy. I was actually very excited for this trip too. My in laws have gone on this train in the past and couldn’t wait to take my son for his first ride.
The train depot area has a few different old trains for kids to look at. One of which I think they can climb on but when we were here it was being repaired. There were a lot of families waiting to take a ride. My mother in law said way more people than in December when she rode it last. So keep that in mind, winter months are probably the best time to come without the crowds.
Our ride was enjoyable. Of course the weather is gorgeous. It’s Hawaii for crying out loud. There were moments in the trip where I was staring at the back of a Costco and Home Depot. Traffic stops for the train and people wave at the people on the train. It feels very old school small town-​ish.
The announcer gives great local history. Not that my 2 year old cared that much about local history. I would say right now that this is probably good for the starting age of 4. My son was done with the ride less than half way through. Its a little too much sitting and holding still for the toddler crowd I think. You can bring drinks and snacks as well. That will hold them over for a while.
They make everyone switch sides halfway through. So no one misses anything, like the Costco. You also get to go through some other resorts and golf courses.
The kid in you will really enjoy this. If you know you have a restless kid, Id skip it.

Great for an picnic…#cool #comfortable Watch out for them Manapua’s. Yikes! Cats for days…#ewwww

We enjoyed this train much more than the Pineapple Express. Just a hint that sitting up near the engine can be hot and smelly, especially on a hot day. There is a small picnic area and a train for the kids to play and climb on while waiting to board.
The narration provided a good history lesson and made it more exciting for the adults. The kids mainly enjoyed the sights. We would definitely do it again.

Nice.
Wifey and I took the three offspring on this thing. We had read up on it beforehand. Kids love trains, especially our son. Anyways, we showed up, bought our tickets and grabbed a seat. Ticket prices when we went were $ 12 for adults and $ 8 for kids.
We sat in the first car next to the engine, which was cool. However, the noise from the engine is pretty loud up there. If you don’t like noise, get a car farther away from the engine.
The trip takes you out to Kahe and back, going through the Ko Olina area. Relaxing. It’s about 80 to 90 minutes and one of the volunteers will provide your trip with a running narration.
Bring snacks and some drinks. They allow this. There is not an opportunity to get off the train once the trip starts. You can stand up as they stop at Kahe, but make sure everyone has a restroom break before getting on the train.
Either before or after, you can check out all the vintage train stuff. A lot of it is in the process of being restored. Just be careful as there are lots of rusty sharp objects laying around.
They run twice each Sunday at 1 and 3pm. Go for it. The keikis will love it.

Not exactly the scenic ride that I was expecting unless you enjoy staring mostly at power lines and unfinished construction sites. Our group with several toddler age kids purposely picked the shaded side of the train cart so we don’t have to sit in the sun. Midway through the trip, we along with all other passengers were ordered by the train conductor to swap side. When we got back to the station, we ended up waiting more than half hour just to use an outdoor bathroom. When I asked a worker at the ticket office whether we could use the more family-​friendly bathroom at the ticket office, he pretty much just ignored our request. If you are a tourist, my advice is that Hawaii has so much more to offer than wasting two hours here.

Hawaii Railway Society’s narrated train ride is a pleasant, relaxing way to spend a lazy afternoon with the kids sightseeing from Ewa Beach out to Kahe on Oahu’s Leeward side of the island. We went on a sunny, breezy Sunday with clear blue skies and marshmallow soft clouds, perfect weather to be on a covered train car riding back through history.
Our ride was at 1 p.m. but we got there at 11:30 a.m. to buy our tickets ($ 12 for adults, $ 8 for children two and older) and then took off to eat lunch nearby. When we returned at 12:30 a.m., the main parking lot was full and the line to board the train was nearly to the chain link fence.
Still, we found parking in the farther dusty lot and, like other parents, we were warning the kid «you better use the bathroom now, cause it’s a 90-​minute ride!» The women’s bathroom in the ticket office has just two stalls with only a palaka-​patterned curtain for privacy, so of course before we could stop him the four-​year-​old flew open the curtain to an unsuspecting elderly patron. Not sure that a velcro closing would have helped, but just sayin’ … hold on to the curtain when you’re in there!
Boarding was easy, there were about five or six «cars» that could seat maybe 15 — 20 folks comfortably. Not every seat was filled because it turned out the train picked up passengers at one or two stops along the route. We choose to sit in the «Kalaeloa» train car, which was like every other car with hard wooden benches for seating and loudspeakers above to hear the narrator.
The four-​year-​old was definitely excited, swinging his legs and jumping when he heard the horn signaling the start of the ride. That excitement lasted for all of five minutes and then he wanted to stand up and run around, which is not allowed. After the train passed through the industrial area and we came to the first railroad crossing, he seemed to accept the restrictions and even waved at the cars that stopped to let the train pass.
For the adults, we enjoyed re-​learning the history of the area and watching the passing scenery that started out dry and dusty, then opened up to new home construction, big box retailers, the Aulani and Ihilani resorts and then the wide blue span of ocean. At Kahe, everyone stood up and walked around to face an opposite view on the return to Ewa. By that time, the four-​year-​old had settled down comfortably lying half on his mom and me. With the wind ruffling his hair, a half-​smile on his face, he was peaceful for the next 20 minutes. Bliss.

As the others before me have said, this is a MUST for little kids, especially if they’re into trains. So for little kids its definitely a 5 star. And there was a bunch of kids, too.
Came here to celebrate my 2 year old son’s birthday and he was just in awe of everything. From the whistle blowing, to the men yelling «ALL ABOARD» and stamping your ticket, my little one’s mind was blown. lol THAT my friends is worth the dustiness of it all.
Now this little train yard is not the nicest or prettiest there is (the train museum in downtown Sacramento, CA is OFF THE HOOK COOL), but it’s cool because you can get up close and personal with some trains and your little ones can «oooh and awwe» at them and even climb aboard some.
The people who work there are all very nice and knowledgable, as I assume one must be considering they’re volunteers. I give a lot of respect to these people as everything being done there is off of donations. Restorations of trains AND tracks! That’s a labor or love. At any rate, here’s my recap:
Pros:
–Little kids will love this! Especially little boys, because along the train ride there was an impressive array of HUGE construction vehicles in Kapolei. So not only was my son on a real «choo-​choo train» but he got to see trackers, bulldozers, and the like. Hog heaven for a 2 year old.
–The small grassy and covered picnic area. You can reserve this area on first come first serve.
–Very knowledgable staff, I enjoyed the history lesson along the way.
–Can bring food and drink on the train!
Cons:
–The speakers in the cars that was suppose to play «relaxing» music when we rolled through Ko’Olina…uh they were crackling and sucked! lol… rusty, dusty, open air exposure will do that to speakers and electrical stuff.
–Because its mainly through old military track, the landscape isn’t the most picturesque but again, the history/​biology lesson the docent gives makes it interesting.
Tips: We went on 12/​18, and the weather was very pleasant with a breeze but the sun is still HOT. Since its open air, bring an umbrella, hat, sunblock, anything to get some shade. Because the makai side is completely exposed to the sun, the entire time. And they make you switch sides too.
–Cash or check only

Go on this train only if you have little kids. If you have a son who loves Thomas the train or Chuggington then put this on your must see/​do list.
The train is a 90 minute long ride. It was about 85 minutes too long for me. My 5 yr old son probably could have stayed on for another hour. In his eyes, this was the first «real» train he’s ever been on (can’t really count the candy cane train and dinosaur train), and he thought it was the neatest thing he’s ever seen.
You sit in an open air (covered) train car and go at a whopping 15mph sitting either facing mauka (mountain) or makai (ocean). For those that get motion sick if you don’t sit facing forward, this isn’t the ride for you. The scenery is pretty barren and quite boring for most of the ride. However, the narrator (Jennifer?) was really awesome and gave lots of interesting information about the history of the railroad and history of the development of that side of the island.
After 45 minutes you reach the Kahe power plant, stand up and stretch for 5 minutes (on the train) and then play musical chairs and switch sides because the train then gets «pushed» by the engine and goes backwards all the way back to where you started.
If this was a review for a kids site, I would give it 5 stars. If I didn’t have kids i definitely would not go again. However, it is very unique and plays an important role in passing on the history/​culture of Hawaii. For that reason alone, go check it out.