Grove Farm Company Ltd.
Grove Farm was an unusual plantation. It was founded and run for most of its existence by George Wilcox, son of missionaries. It did not have its own sugar mill until the 1947 acquisition of the neighboring Koloa Sugar Company, instead, contracting with the Lihue Plantation to have its can processed at their mill and even then continued to send, the cane from the original plantation to Lihue until the end of railroad operations in 1957.
They were slow to embrace railroads, first building a connection to the Lihue Plantation railroad in 1895, using mules to move cane cars over portable track, with the Lihue Plantation using LP locomotives to haul the Grove Farm cane to the Lihue mill.
They purchased their first locomotive, a Davenport in 1909, which was replaced by a larger Baldwin, No 1, in 1927, but as of 1931 when they owned 13.5 miles of permanent track, still did not own any cane cars, instead depending on the Lihue Plantation for cars.
By 1915, the plantation was using field tractors to move cane cars on the portable track. By 1931, the plantation had two Fordson Tractor locomotives also in service on portable track, but a c 1943 photo shows a crawler tractor in use as a switcher on the portable track.
1930 brought a connection to the Koloa Sugar Plantations tracks as condition of the US Government involvement in the upgrades to the harbor at Nawiliwili.
In 1948 Grove Farm purchase the neighboring Koloa Sugar Plantation and with it, its railroad and locomotives, which became the Koloa Division of Grove Farm Plantation, while the original Grove Farm fields and tracks were known as the Haiku Division. Operations were kept separate, with Koloa division cane continuing to be processed at the Koloa mill, while the Haiku division cane going to the Lihue Sugar mill.
Railroad operations ended on the Koloa Division in 1954, and on the Haiku Division in 1957. With the end of railroad operations, all cane was now trucked to the Koloa mill.
When railroad operations ended, the family preserved four locomotives in the engine house on what would become the Grove Farm Sugar Plantation Museum.
Reference Material Available Online:
Photographs.
Collected Grove Farm Company Ltd. Photographs.
Images collected from private collections, libraries and historical societies.
Rosters.
Locomotives.
No 1 (1st) 0-4-2t, Davenport c/n 947, 12/1909, 8x12, 22,000 lbs
Built for Gregg Co (dealer) New York NY, for Grove Farm
Replaced by Baldwin No 1, 1927 and scrapped
No 2 (1st) possibly Paloa, 0-4-2t, Baldwin, 6-10 1/3C-53, c/n 14981, 8/1896, 8x12, 26” drivers
Built for Fredrick Probst & Co (Dealer) for Lihue Plantation Co, No 2, Paloa
Converted to oil BLW-XO-1829-24, 1924
To Hobby Company for use construction Nawiliwili Harbor
To Grove Farm when they took over harbor work June, 1928
Apparently In cane service in 1931 (after harbor work is complete)
Out of service by 1939
No 1 (2nd), 0-6-0st, Baldwin 6-11D-130, c/n 59888, 3/1927, 9x12, 28” drivers
Built for Grove Farms Ltd
Purchased to replace Davenport No 1
Inside frame
On hand 1946 (Victor Norton)
No 2 (2nd), Puhi, 0-6-2t, Baldwin (class?) c/n 38312, 9/1912, 12x16, 33” drivers
Built for C Brewer & Company, for Alexander & Baldwin for:
Hawaiian Sugar, No 5 Kauai
Purchased by Grove Farm c. 1941
On hand 1946 (Victor Norton)
No 3, Kaipu, 0-6-2t, Baldwin 8-14 1/3D-24, c/n 58557, 7/1925 10x16, 30” drivers 46,000lbs
Built for Hawaiian Sugar, No 6 Kokee
Wight listed as 49,300 in 1/10/1941 sales listing
Purchased by Grove Farm in 1943
On hand 1946 (Victor Norton)
Out of service at end of 1957 season
Preserved in Grove Farm Sugar Plantation Museum
Restored to operating condition in 1983
No 4, 2-4-2t, Baldwin c/n 13676, 8/1893
Built for Hawaiian Sugar, No 3
Purchased by Grove Farm c. 1941
On hand 1946 (Victor Norton)
No 5, Wahiawa, 0-6-2t, Baldwin 8-18 1/3D-20, c/n 54719, 4/1921, 12x16, 33” drivers, 43,000lbs
Built for Kauai Railway Co, No 2 (3rd) Port Allen
To McBryde Sugar Co, 6/1938, No 4, Wahiawa
To Grove Farm 9/1947
Out of service at end of 1957 cane season
Preserved in Grove Farm Sugar Plantation Museum
Restored to operating condition in 1975
No 6, (1st) Hanapepe 2-4-2t, Baldwin, 8-14 1/4C-15, c/n 12966, 9/1892, 10x16, 30” drivers, 38,700 lbs
Outside frame, saddle tank
Built for Hawaiian Sugar, No 2, Hanapepe
New boiler and frame BLW-XO-69, 1938
To Koloa Plantation, Kalauhono, after 1/10/1941
Note: This locomotive is not included in the roster for Koloa Plantation in Sugar Trains and is not listed at either Grove Farm or Koloa in Treiber, vol 4
To Grove Farm
No 6 (2nd) Wainiha, (2nd) 0-6-2t, Baldwin, 8-18 1/3D-18 c/n 42401, 9/1915, 12x16, 33” drivers
c/n incorrectly listed as 38311 in Sugar Trains
Built for Alexander & Baldwin for:
McBryde Sugar No 4, Port Allen, Renumbered No 3
To Lahue Plantation Co 6/1932, renamed Wainiha, No 3 (3rd)
New boiler on order XO-239, 1941
To Grove Farm as No 6 in 1947
Preserved in Grove Farm Sugar Plantation Museum
Not in operation
2 Fordson Tractor Locomotives by 1931
Manufacturer unknown, for use on temporary track