Western Railroad Discussion > Interesting Power Plant on the Island of Lana'i (Hawaii)

While visiting the Island of Lana'i in Hawaii, I heard a rumor that a portion of the Island's power plant was pieces and parts of former Locomotives. I made a stop and snapped a few pictures.. they certainly sounded like Alco's ;).

-Regards,

Dave

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I used to ride by a power plant on the Subic Bay Navy Station in the Philippines that sounded just like a set of F7s climbing Donner Pass.  Wonderful.

Copy19 Wrote:
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> I used to ride by a power plant on the Subic Bay
> Navy Station in the Philippines that sounded just
> like a set of F7s climbing Donner Pass.
>  Wonderful.

Dim memory tells me that EMD was making portable power plants similar to those in the picture, with 567 engines.

TAW

Great posting. Interesting that they appear to be on rails. What kind of Alcos were they?

Regards, Jim Evans

McClellan AFB in Sacramento had a 567 Power plant that I attended one day back in the 1960s as they ran it and cut it over to supply the building I was in. The Syncroscope was fascinating to watch when the Phases came intequilibriumum.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

TAW Wrote:
>
> Dim memory tells me that EMD was making portable
> power plants similar to those in the picture, with
> 567 engines.
>
> TAW

Yes. I understood that as well. Saw one sitting in Gallup on the Santa Fe in the early '80s. It was almost identical to the pics above (esp. the portholes on the doors), except was on wheelsets and about the size of a 40' boxcar.

2-10-2

FiveChime Wrote:
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> Great posting. Interesting that they appear to be
> on rails. What kind of Alcos were they?
>
> Regards, Jim Evans

Could have been an EMD.. just didn't sound like a 567 to my ears I also could have been hearing something else chugging along too at the plant.

2-10-2 Wrote:
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> Yes. I understood that as well. Saw one sitting in
> Gallup on the Santa Fe in the early '80s. It was
> almost identical to the pics above (esp. the
> portholes on the doors), except was on wheelsets
> and about the size of a 40' boxcar.
>
> 2-10-2

These were sitting on old freight trucks ... does in hindsight look like an EMD Fuel Tank.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/18 11:50 by dbesade.

Fascinating to hear that diesel is being used as a primary power source in contrast to much of the local politics. Other islands have made use of wind power, albeit tucked away at distant corners of the island.

It is a reminder of how may areas still have basics beeds that have to met. It would be tough to repair those power sets if something big happened. Perhaps they have a good parts source on E-Bay.

If you know where to look or pay attention as you drive, you will see numerous "Peaker Plants" all across America.
Many of them have GE power plants and there are a lot of EMDs too.
The usual give away from a distance are the huge exhaust silencers and the accompanying electrical apperatus surrounding the machinery.

Agree on the peaker plants. The SF Bay area (aka Silicon Valley and it's bedroom communities) have them along the natural gas pipeline routes. They built a large complex near the east end of the San Mateo Bridge, as mentioned you can also see them across the valley and the delta, even in the shadow of some of the larger wind mill farms.

In the case of the OP there is a rather limited amount of natural gas pipeline on the Islands of Hawaii, although I'm sure there could be something related to those monster volcanoes out there. I am familiar with the wind mill farms on the south corner of the big island. At first there was a big investment for a wind mill farm that was abandoned when the money ran out, the disassembly was eventually funded but also a modern installation was built nearby. Good and bad for the natural view, beats a power plant burning pet coke though as in many places in Asia.

TCnR Wrote:
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> Fascinating to hear that diesel is being used as a
> primary power source in contrast to much of the
> local politics.

They also have a solar farm near by... but as you are aware they don't work when the sun isn't out. Lana'i is a fairly small community... 3000 full time residents and the 2 Resorts (both Four Seasons). Power Plant was moved but my understanding is the equipment largely dates from the Dole Plantation era. This island was for the most part, entirely Pineapple until 1992 whent he plantation closed.

Regards,

Dave

Before I retired, I worked for an consulting firm that was working for the electric utility in the Hawaiian islands.  They had several of these plants for peaking and the event the transmission lines when down in a storm.
Inexpensive way of keeping the lights on.  They were switching to solar and geothermial as well as regular fossile fuels.
Interesting mix of power generation.
I think that this type of system would be benefical in rural areas in America that are at the end of a transmission line for peaking and backup power.

Pat
South Austin, TX

If you look to the Right on this photo , you can see 2 Mobile Power Plants with 645 series engines on the Yellow Flatcar @ Hill AFB, Ogden , UT

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Catalina Island, CA had a couple of EMDs and an F-M as backup last time I checked.
Seward, AK, is powered by EMD 645s.

Many of the EMD and Alco stationary plants have builders plates on them...makes ID easier.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/18 17:43 by Alco251.

RRBadTrack Wrote:
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> If you know where to look or pay attention as you
> drive, you will see numerous "Peaker Plants" all
> across America.
> Many of them have GE power plants and there are a
> lot of EMDs too.
> The usual give away from a distance are the huge
> exhaust silencers and the accompanying electrical
> apperatus surrounding the machinery.

FYI - the GE peakers are driven by turbine engines of a similar design to those used in 737's.

Didn't Larry Elison of Oracle buy the entire island of Lanai?

utwazoo Wrote:
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> Didn't Larry Elison of Oracle buy the entire
> island of Lanai?

He bought the "Company" that owns the island, yes. Significant restrictions on what he can and can't do... partially because of the lack of surface water on the island (the two resorts and town take as much water as the Plantation did) and partially because Maui county and the Planning commission have to approve things.

Regards,

Dave

Copy19 Wrote:
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> I used to ride by a power plant on the Subic Bay
> Navy Station in the Philippines that sounded just
> like a set of F7s climbing Donner Pass.
>  Wonderful.

I suspect you heard the U.S. Navy Mobile Utilities System Equipment (MUSE) program’s containerized EMD 645’s. They provide power, transformers, and steam to Navy and DoD customers around the world.

Google Earth  has a street view of the power plant, there happens to be an open door on the first unit which clearly shows an EMD 

All quite interesting. Nearby Moliki gets power via subsea cable fromMaui, I've been told, butvmaybhave some backups like those mentioned above. Maui Electric Co. Has conventional oil fueled generating station on island, with lotta wind generators on hills overlooking plant. Nearby sugar mill now retired used to augment power supply but now shut down..

Steve Donaldson
Pacific Grove, CA