Edaville Railroad facts for kids
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.
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| Overview | |
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| Headquarters | South Carver |
| Locale | Carver, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Dates of operation | 1947–1991 (first park) 1999–present (second park) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
| Length | 2.5 miles |
Edaville Railroad (also known as Edaville USA or Edaville Family Theme Park) is a fun amusement park and historic train ride in South Carver, Massachusetts. It first opened way back in 1947! It's one of the oldest places in the U.S. where you can ride old trains.
The park is named after its founder, Ellis D. Atwood. He built the train line on his huge cranberry farm. The trains run on a special "narrow gauge" track. This means the rails are closer together than regular train tracks. Edaville was temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It reopened for the Christmas season in 2021 and fully reopened in 2022 with new owners.
Contents
History
How Edaville Started
Ellis D. Atwood loved trains. In 1941, he bought two train engines and many passenger and freight cars. These came from the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad when it closed down. After World War II, he bought more engines and cars from other old train lines in Maine.
These trains were "narrow gauge," meaning their tracks were only 2 ft (610 mm) wide. Atwood wanted to use them on his 1,800-acre (730 ha) cranberry farm in South Carver. After the 1945 cranberry harvest, his workers built 5.5 mi (8.9 km) of track. These tracks ran around the cranberry bogs. The trains helped move sand and supplies to the bogs. They also carried cranberries to a special building to be dried.
At first, Atwood let his neighbors ride the trains for free. Everyone loved the small railroad! Soon, so many people wanted rides that he started charging a small fee. Over time, the train line became more of a fun tourist attraction than a working farm railroad.
Ellis Atwood passed away in 1950. His family kept Edaville running until 1957. Then, a man named F. Nelson Blount bought the railroad. He was a big train fan. Blount continued to run Edaville, giving rides to tourists. He also started collecting many other old train engines. This collection later became part of Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Blount also let some of Edaville's narrow gauge trains be used at other theme parks. These included Freedomland U.S.A. in the Bronx, New York, and Pleasure Island in Wakefield. The trains would go to these parks for the summer and return to Edaville in the fall.
Changes Over the Years (1967–1991)
Nelson Blount died in 1967. In 1970, a former Edaville worker named George E. Bartholomew bought the railroad. Edaville kept running for another 20 years under his care. The park offered train rides from late May through early September. It also had a very popular Festival of Lights in December.
In the late 1980s, the land Edaville was on was sold. This meant the park had to close. George Bartholomew put the railroad up for sale in 1991.
New Beginnings (1992–2005)
Edaville closed in January 1992. Many of its original trains were sold to a group in Portland, Maine. They used the trains to start the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.
There were two attempts to reopen Edaville in the 1990s, but they didn't work out. Finally, in 1999, the "new" Edaville Railroad opened! It was owned by Jack Flagg, John Delli Priscoli, and Douglas Beaton. They brought in a "new" steam engine, No. 21, from Fiji. Some of the old Edaville buildings were replaced with new ones.
In the early 2000s, there were a couple of minor train derailments. No one was seriously hurt, but it showed the park needed updates.
Edaville Family Theme Park (2005–2022)
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The main entrance to Dino-Land, which opened in 2014.
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The Tidmouth Sheds attraction at Thomas Land.
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The Edaville Old Train Ride.
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The former unpowered Thomas engine.
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By 2005, Jon Delli Priscoli became the sole owner of Edaville Railroad and the land it was on. This helped solve some old problems between the park and the landowners. However, it also meant big changes for the park. Some of the original train tracks were removed to make way for new homes. The main train line became a shorter, 2-mile (3.2 km) loop.
In 2010, the park was almost sold, but Delli Priscoli decided to rebuild it instead. The restored railroad reopened in September 2011. Over the next few years, the park added many new rides and attractions. It also got a new main entrance and more parking.
Edaville Railroad was rebranded as Edaville Family Theme Park. It became an amusement park with themes of cranberry harvesting and trains. It grew to have three main areas:
- Cran Central: This main area had 32 rides, many with a cranberry theme. It also had the main train station. For several years, the trains were pulled by a small diesel engine, with an unpowered engine that looked like Thomas the Tank Engine at the front.
- Dino-Land: Opened in 2014, this area had a walking trail through the woods. It featured 23 life-sized moving dinosaurs! There were also dinosaur-themed games and shops.
- Thomas Land USA: This area opened in 2015 and was based on the British TV show Thomas & Friends. It had 11 rides, many like those at Thomas Land in England. You could see characters like Harold the Helicopter and Cranky the Crane.
In 2020, the park closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It only opened for the Christmas Festival of Lights in late 2021. In April 2022, Delli Priscoli put Edaville up for sale again.
New Management and Future (2022–Present)
| Opened | 2001 |
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| Owner | Jon Delli Priscoli |
| Operating season | May through October |
| Area | 230 acres (0.93 km2) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 20 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Website | www.edaville.com |
Good news came on August 10, 2022: Edaville was no longer for sale! New operators, Shervin B. Hawley and Brian Fanslau, took over. They promised to keep Edaville a traditional family park focused on its historic steam trains.
When the park reopened for the 2022 holiday season, Dino-Land and Thomas Land were closed. The Thomas-looking engine was replaced with real coal-fired steam engines. A new "European-Style Christmas Market" was added, with new shops and attractions. Thomas Land later reopened in 2023 under the name Alpine Village.
Today, the park focuses on its historic railroad roots. The two-foot gauge train still runs during the summer and fall. It offers rides through the cranberry bogs. During the holidays, there are special themed train rides. The trains usually have six to eight passenger cars and an open-top car. They are pulled by a coal-fired steam engine. The park currently uses Edaville No. 11, a steam engine from 1925. Another engine, Edaville No. 21, is being fixed up to run in the future.
See also
- List of amusement parks in New England
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Images for kids
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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.
