Copyright 2020 Nicholas Kalis
Book Review
Sugar Trains PictorialJesse C. Conde
Hard cover 192 pages
Black and White Photographs
Glenwood Publishers Felton California
Copyright 1975
No Longer in Print
If you are interested in the sugar cane plantations of Hawaii this book is for you. If you expect more than a few pages about the particular plantation railroad you are interested in you will be disappointed. The dust cover mentions that this book contains nine drawings, eleven maps and 416 photographs.
The preface states that this is a compendium of photographs that did not make it into Sugar Trains: Narrow Gauge Rails of Hawaii, a book I have regrettably never gotten my hands on.
Chapter Include
Chapter One - Island of Hawaii
Chapter Two - Island of Kauai
Chapter Three - Island of Maui
Chapter Four - Island of Molokai
Chapter Five - Island of Oahu
Chapter Six - Gregg Cane Cars
Chapter Seven - Glimpses of the Common Carriers
Chapter Eight - A Latter-Day Heritage
If my memory serves me correctly, I purchased this book at least a decade ago for some $ 200 - pricey. I believe the seller took some of my library in trade.
A few words about the author...
Jesse C. Conde grew up in Everett, Massachusetts and graduated from the Massachusetts Nautical School in 1932. As a flight engineer he visited Hawaii. In 1964 he was instrumental in saving several old plantation locomotives for restoration. Interestingly, he conducted his research for his three books while on layovers in Hilo and Honolulu between 1964 and 1972.
My copy didn't cost $200 but just getting the Gregg chapter made it worth every penny. And covering 41 railways/plantations in 192 pages doesn't leave much room for more than a few pages on each. At 400 pages Sugar Trains does cover the same companies in more detail, including small maps, but it's still an overview.
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