This weekend HPR jumped on a historic train out on the ʻEwa Plain to pay homage to World War II history.
HPR was there Sunday as the Hawaiian Railway Society rededicated the Merci boxcar, a World War I-era artifact located at its base yard and museum at the end of Renton Road.
The boxcar was preserved but stored outside, where the elements had not been kind to it. It has now been restored thanks to the members of the society and the Daughters of the American Revolution here in Hawaiʻi. The public is invited to visit and see it in all its glory.
Historian Jeff Livingston shared the story of the Friendship train that was sent over as a thank-you for the generous gift of sugar sent to France as it tried to rebuild after World War II.
The project was the brainchild of The Washington Post columnist Drew Pearson. The restoration of the French boxcar is a nod to that heartfelt history of aloha and mahalo dating back some 75 years ago.
"It's definitely a part of Hawaiʻi's history," Livingston said. "This is an artifact that shows the people of Hawaiʻi, this multicultural mix that we live within, is imbued with that spirit of aloha."
The restored box car is on display in the base yard of the Hawaiian Railway Society, which offers train rides on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The rides are also available for charters. For more information, click here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Feb. 3, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.