EDAVILLE

Edaville is a tourist attraction located in South Carver, MA. It began in 1947 when its founder Ellis D Atwood (the EDA in Eda-ville) brought as much of the remaining Maine 2-ft gauge equipment as he could, down to his cranberry plantation in S. Carver. His original intention was to use the trains to haul cranberries, but folks began to show up for rides, and thus the idea to use the train as an attraction was born. Today's Edaville is a shell of its former self, mostly an amusement park with a much-shortened train ride. However, the current operators are on course to bring steam back to the park for future seasons.   

The WW&F Ry Museum sells a dvd that includes 16mm footage of the final days of the Bridgton & Harrison RR, and continues with footage of Opening Day at Edaville.

This dvd is part of "Riding the Maine Two-Footers" series (Part 2)

Hope this helps,

Stephen

 

 

 

   

I grew up in Fall River, Mass. & every Christmas my mother & aunt would take me down there to ride the Christmas train thru the cranberry bogs & see all the decorations & lights. There were also numerous O & O27 trains on display. Other than Christmas morning it was the highlight of the holiday season. I have nothing but fond memories of Edaville R.R.

I "discovered" Edaville in 1991, while on vacation in MA. There was a tiny little poster in a toy train shop, so we got directions and headed over there. The place was well past its prime in those days, but if you looked closely, you could see the shadows of its former glory.

 

There were a few derelict O gauge locomotives on shelves in almost empty rooms, and I suspected that there had been operating layouts at one time. It was the kind of place that used to attract a crowd, but crowds are fickle. When the bloom is off the rose, the crowds go elsewhere.

 

The ride through the bogs was wonderful on that hot summer afternoon, as the little loco chuffed along and the announcer told of cranberry harvest procedures.

 

I did not realize that the train had been brought in. I assumed that someone tried to make a working railroad into a tourist attraction for the off season.

 

The biggest thrill was walking through the grounds after the ride. Back towards the woods, just past the turntable, was a short section of standard gauge track, and sitting on that track was the Flying Yankee. My fevorite streamlined diesel train has always been the pioneer Zephyr, and here was her twin sister!

 

I had a great time, bought some of the few trinkets that were left in the gift shop, and drove back to my motel.

I use to go when I was a kid and some times as an adult. We would usually go around Christmas with all the lights. Lots of good memories of Edaville!

Those last three were the kinds of posts I was trying to solicite, personal connections.

 

I had hoped that there might even have been someone who worked there at one time. 

 

If you have a story to relate about the place, please post it here. The facts can easily be located on line or via videos like above or the one I watched. It is the personal stories that make the place come alive.

 

Thanks, Greg

Was a great place at one time. It's only a shell of it's former self now and for sale.  I've been once or twice back in the 70's.  I wouldn't waste my money on the place now.

 

More info can be had on this forum.

 

http://www.railroad.net/forums...cf2a2121761cca64caea

Grew up in Boston.  Have very fuzzy, vague memories, probably from the early '60s,  of riding the Edaville Railroad and hearing the whistle as we rolled past the cranberry bogs.  I do remember that back then, travelling to South Carver from my little neighborhood of West Roxbury seemed like a trip to some distant, far-away place!  

 

- Mike

I went there several times during the 80's and 90's while we were on vacation in Cape Cod.  I am in the process of converting all of my old camcorder videos to digital which include several of Edaville.  I will post them here eventually.

I finished watching the rest of the video. It was on RFD by the way, Real Trains or some such.

 

The narrator, someone named Boyd, seemed to remind me of the guy doing the MTH DCS instruction DVD....may have been Rich, but it sounded like that guy.

 

The show took you up to about 1998 when the Edaville engines were running there, and the other engines were running at the park in Maine. Was one of the engines from one of the two places moved to SteamTown at some point? Anyone know?

 

The links on the web will give you the rest of the story if you are interested. I find it interesting the stories told by you guys who went there. Thanks, Greg

As I kid my sister said we all went once. We had a large family. Seven kids. And little major highways. From central Mass to Carver was a big trip for nine people in a station wagon. I always got crammed in between the middle and back opposite facing bench seats. We called it the monkey box. Back before minivans and sealed rear windows. We did not know about carbon monoxide back then. It was always heavily advertised during Saturday morning cartoon shows around the holidays. As a parent, since 2006, I have taken my son to Thomas days with lots of train venders and also for several Christmas light rides. No one goes in the summer now because of the threat of West Nile disease. Bogs are full of mosquitoes.

this one is marked "Edaville RR - 7/9/59"

 

 

unfortunately my dad never took too many pictures of just objects.

us kids always had to be in the shots.

I have fond memories of visit Edaville as a child with my parents.

I also brought my children there several times both before and after the liquidation.

My favorite non-working item there was the Flying Yankee.

 

Edaville started running an annual fathers day train show just a couple of years before it closed.

I forget the year, but I was registered and paid to have a table at what might have been the final show. Since it was a long drive, I called the Wednesday before to ask whether the show was on. (guess I had a premonition)  My older son and I arrived as planned early sunday morning (4 hour drive) to find the place locked up. A couple of the other table holders opened their trunks, preparing to sell right in the parking lot. Then someone from Edaville came and chased us all away. Never got a refund or letter explaining what happened.

At the time there was a model train museum set up in an old supermarket that was not too far away. We spent some time there, had lunch, and headed home. The museum is gone too,