Edaville Railroad Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Edaville Railroad
Overview
Aerial view of Edaville's former Thomas-lead train passing through cranberry bogs in the spring of 2016. The unpowered Thomas engine was replaced with coal-fired steam engines beginning in 2022.
Headquarters	South Carver
Locale	Carver, Massachusetts, U.S.
Dates of operation	1947–1991 (first park) 1999–2024 (second park)
Technical
Track gauge	2 ft (610 mm)
Length	2.5 miles (4.0 km)

The Edaville Railroad (also known as Edaville USA or Edaville Family Theme Park) was a special railroad and amusement park located in South Carver, Massachusetts. It first opened in 1947, making it one of the oldest heritage railroads in the United States.

Edaville used a unique type of track called a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge line. This means the tracks were much closer together than regular train tracks. The railroad was built by Ellis D. Atwood on his large cranberry farm. The name "Edaville" comes from his initials, E.D.A. The park offered fun train rides for visitors and later grew to include many other attractions.

History of Edaville Railroad
Images for kids
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History of Edaville Railroad

How Edaville Started

A train at Edaville in 1959.

An old electric truck displayed at Edaville Railroad around 1966.

Edaville Railroad train, around 1966, filled with visitors by the depot building.

Ellis D. Atwood loved trains. After World War II, he bought several old train engines and cars from railroads that were no longer in use in Maine. These trains ran on two-foot narrow gauge tracks, which were perfect for his 1,800-acre cranberry farm in South Carver.

After the cranberry harvest in 1945, Atwood's workers built about 5.5 miles of track around the cranberry bogs. The trains helped move sand and supplies to the bogs. They also carried cranberries to a special building where they were dried.

At first, Atwood gave free rides to his neighbors who loved seeing the small trains. Soon, so many people wanted rides that he started charging a small fee. Over time, the railroad became less about farm work and more about entertaining tourists.

New Owners and Changes

Ellis Atwood passed away in 1950. His family continued to run Edaville until 1957. Then, a railroad fan named F. Nelson Blount bought the railroad. Blount was very wealthy from the seafood business. He loved operating Edaville and showing off his growing collection of locomotives. Some of his trains later became part of the Steamtown National Historic Site in Pennsylvania.

Blount also rented out some of Edaville's narrow gauge trains to other theme parks. These included Freedomland U.S.A. in New York and Pleasure Island in Massachusetts.

Edaville in the Later Years

Edaville Railroad Engine No. 5.

Nelson Blount passed away in 1967. In 1970, George E. Bartholomew, who used to work at Edaville, bought the railroad. Edaville continued to run tourist trains from late May through early September. It also had a very popular Festival of Lights in December, which drew huge crowds.

In the late 1980s, the land where the railroad operated was sold. This meant Edaville had to stop running. The railroad was put up for sale in 1991.

Reopening and New Attractions

Edaville closed in January 1992. Many of its original trains were sold to a museum in Maine. There were a couple of attempts to reopen Edaville in the 1990s, but they didn't work out.

In 1999, the "new" Edaville Railroad finally opened again. It was owned by Jack Flagg, John Delli Priscoli, and Douglas Beaton. They brought in a new steam locomotive from England. Some of the old buildings were replaced with new ones.

By 2005, Jon Delli Priscoli became the sole owner of Edaville Railroad and the land it was on. This helped solve some old problems. However, parts of the original track were removed to make way for new homes. The main train line became a 2-mile loop.

In the years that followed, Edaville Railroad was rebranded as Edaville Family Theme Park. It became an amusement park with a theme around cranberry harvesting and trains. The park grew to have three main areas:

Cran Central: This was the main area with many rides, including a Ferris wheel. It also had the main train station. For a while, the trains were led by an engine that looked like Thomas the Tank Engine.
Dino-Land: Opened in 2014, this area had a walking trail through the woods with 23 life-sized moving dinosaurs.
Thomas Land USA: This area opened in 2015 and was based on the British children's TV show Thomas & Friends. It had 11 rides featuring characters like Harold the Helicopter and Cranky the Crane.

Recent Years and Closure

Edaville Family Theme Park
Attractions
Opened	2001
Closed	2024
Owner	Jon Delli Priscoli
Operating season	May through October
Area	230 acres (0.93 km²)
Total	20
Roller coasters	1
Website	www.edaville.com

In April 2022, Jon Delli Priscoli put Edaville back up for sale. The park had been closed for a while due to the coronavirus pandemic, except for the Christmas Festival of Lights.

However, in August 2022, new operators were announced, and Edaville was taken off the market. The new team, led by Shervin B. Hawley and Brian Fanslau, planned to focus on the park's historic steam locomotives and family activities.

When the park reopened for the 2022 holiday season, Dino Land and Thomas Land remained closed. The Thomas locomotive was replaced by real coal-fired steam engines. A new "European-Style Christmas Market" was added. Thomas Land later reopened in 2023 under the new name Alpine Village.

The park's two-foot gauge railroad continued to offer daily trips through the cranberry bogs during the summer and fall. Special holiday-themed trips were also available in late fall and early winter. The park operated Edaville No. 11, a steam engine from 1925. Another engine, Edaville No. 21, from 1936, was being restored for future use.

Despite plans to keep Edaville open, it was announced in March 2025 that the park would close permanently. Edaville stopped operations on December 31, 2024. All its rides were sold off. Another event called King Richard's Faire moved to the Edaville location.