Coming it at the closing bell, Team Mueller presents Mik 2024 – Hui Laulima Mahi ‘Ai na M&K / the M&K Agricultural Cooperative. As a reminder, we chose to diverge from our home’s history of industrial agriculture to a world that might have been, where the large sugar and pineapple concerns leased their lands to family farmers as part of crop diversification. In addition to letting other farmers bear the economic risks of new crops, it allowed the M&K to share some of the financial burden of needed infrastructure to more efficiently service, ship, and store No’u’ea’s burgeoning agri-business.
As we did last year, we tried to let each participant find some portion of the project to complete. O.D.'s grain elevator (not to be judged, as it was partially done at the start) is the centerpiece. Everyone else raided the scrap bins to build their1:24-ish PLAYMOBIL scale creations to his or her own mind’s conception of the project. This year, we spent $0.00!
We will introduce our projects in reverse order from our build log due to our arrival on site as we hitched rides on work trains across Triple O and M&K tracks. Like last year, we are indebted to @Ray_Dunakin for his drone services. Other shots are largely courtesy of Y.D.
Yours Truly – Small Station
The M&K and tenant farmers both decided a small station would speed up the transfer of goods from the semi-regular trains the serve the big sugar concern’s permanent trackage. Ray’s drone captured the action as Kolea pulled a small combine away from the new station after dropping off goods and workers.
'I’iwi stood ready to make the deliveries to farms, fields, and other work sites after the paniolo /cowboys finish transferring the just-delivered freight.
Y.D. captured the small station in its entirety and risked injury to show the station in its entirety and to capture the action.
!
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After a fond “Aloha!” from a local farmer…
…we boarded another passing work train for Pu’u’oma’o, the big mill town. Unfortunately, massive construction caused the Triple O to close all approaches to the mill area.
Ray captured the hubbub from his drone.
…as the rest of us made our way to the mill. Finishing work on the new grain elevator necessitated the track closure and our short hike!
O.S. - Silo
Making our way across the bridge on foot, we noted a group of ruffians had not gotten the word, and a local official, backed by the police, served them a warrant to cease and desist. Apparently, they were on the way to the new grain silo in hopes of selling their presumably ill-gotten gains!
The silo itself towers above the yards, but it will sit in the shadow of the even bigger elevator rising alongside of it!
Y.D. & Kid-zilla - Office & Outhouse
The last site before we viewed before picking up a regular passenger train on the far side of the construction area was a small office that will serve the elevator in time but for now is an auxiliary office for Triple O crews.
Lucky for us, one of the buildings turned out to be a newly dug privy. It can be a long, hot ride home on the islands!
After a necessary stop at the necessary, we caught the outbound passenger train and headed back to the port city of Halukuili’o for a complementary luau that came with our rail excursion. Due to the indiscretions of certain people (you know who you are!), we decided to refrain from publishing photos from that event. Enjoy a picture of Opal instead!
Fun build, fun times, and thanks to @Dave_Taylor for again herding the cats on the site and inspiring this crew on the island through another MIK!
Good Luck and Thanks to All the Participants!
On Behalf of Team Mueller,
Eric
