The Edaville Railroad is Back!

The original Edaville Railroad was created by Ellis D. Atwood. In 1946 and 1947 he purchased much equipment from two foot gauge railroads in Maine. Atwood had the equipment trucked to his large Cranberry bogs in South Carver, Massachusetts. There he set up a 5 and a half mile loop, and used the trains to service the bogs as well as haul paying passengers. He named his railroad Edaville Railroad, from his initials (EDA). The railroad evolved into a real family attraction, and carnival type rides were added. The railroad became famous for lavish Christmas displays. Many static displays of railroad equipment of various gauges were added attractions. Edaville truely grew to become a local institution, drawing visitors from all over.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Edaville ran into financial troubles, and subsequently shut down. The equpiment sat for a number of years, untouched. In 1993 much of the equipment was purchased by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, in Portland. The purchase kept the largest collection of two foot gauge railroad equipment together, and kept it from surely being divided at auction. The equipment was moved up to Portland in September of that year.

Since shutting down in the early '90s, there have been a few unsucessful attempts at reviving the popular attraction. However, in 1999, Cranrail Corp. secured a lease to the property, and on Labor Day weekend, 1999, Edaville was brought back to life. Most of the original buildings, which were reportedly in poor shape, have been demolished and replaced with brand new ones. There is no live steam yet, but there are hopes that there will be some by Christmas. I took the following photos on Monday, September 6, 1999, (opening weekend).

Edaville diesel-electric locomotive number 2 leads the train.

Edaville diesel-electric locomotive number 2.

A view of the train
A view of the coaches.

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