Life on the Rail in Hawaii
This documentary explores the storied history of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway which operated on the Big Island of Hawaii between 1899 through 1946. "Life on the Rail in Hawaii" is told through interviews with 92 year old Roy Wilson (Native Hawaiian, Japanese, English) who was forced by anti-Japanese hysteria to change his Japanese name during WWII. Roy began his career on the railroad as a gandy dancer repairing rails, he worked his way up to the dangerous job of brakeman and ultimately finished his career as one of the last conductors in 1946. The HCR grew out of a necessity for transportation for the sugar plantations at the turn of the 20th century, but was also used as transportation for the local folk and later the military.
