Kauai Plantation Railway

The Kilohana Plantation mansion is erected in 1935 and is acquired by Fred Atkins in 1986, who converts it into a restaurant and event venue. Hurricane Iniki strikes the island in 1992, forcing the plantation to close for a year and prompting a decline in business after it reopens. In 2003 Atkins revises the enterprise, adding diversified agriculture to the property and, in January 2004, announces plans for a new heritage railroad; the island’s planning commission grants approval in March 2004. Construction proceeds throughout 2006, installing 7,920 ties, 1,056 rails and 31,680 spikes, and the railway opens to the public in January 2007, becoming Hawaii’s first new railroad built in a century. By July 2007, Atkins reports that roughly 40 percent of riders are Hawaiian residents, a surprising shift for the tourist‑focused attraction.