Edaville Railroad 75th Anniversary - Two-Foot Gauge Steam Special

The Edaville railroad is a two-foot narrow gauge loop in Carver, Massachusetts. The railroad was founded in 1947 by Ellis D. Atwood after he acquired equipment from multiple defunct two-foot railroads in Maine. The unique 24" gauge equipment still sees use today in both Massachusetts and Maine.

The Edaville Railroad was originally intended to support Atwood’s cranberry plantation, but it transitioned into a tourist railroad due to public demand. The railroad would operate narrow gauge The railroad’s management changed hands several times following Atwood’s passing in 1950 and the original railroad ceased operations in 1992. Much of the equipment was subsequently acquired by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum in Portland, Maine. In 1999, the Edaville Railroad was acquired and reopened with new equipment, new facilities, and a new adjacent amusement park. However, much of the mainline was eventually torn up to make way for a housing development, reducing the train rides to a smaller loop around the park and cranberry bog.

On an early spring weekend in 2022, the railroad celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a celebration and photo excursions organized by Maine Locomotive & Machine Works with the help of MNG. This event featured the reopening of a portion of the old mainline and the homecoming of Edaville’s former Steam Locomotive 3, which was trucked down from Maine for the celebration. This 0-4-4T Forney was built in 1912 by Vulcan Iron Works for the Monson Railroad in Northern Maine. Now owned by MNG, the 3 often splits time between MNG’s main operation in Portland and the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Alna, Maine.

The celebration also featured Edaville’s current steam locomotive 11, an 0-4-0 built in 1925 by H. K. Porter for the Raritan Copper Works in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The 11 was originally three-foot gauge, but was rebuilt and regauged to operate at Edaville.

This celebration created a sense of nostalgia for many longtime railroad enthusiasts who grew up riding the Edaville Railroad and also acted somewhat as a farewell event as well. At the time, the property was for sale and the future of Edaville was uncertain. However, a few months later, Edaville was taken off the market and the organizer of this celebration was announced as the new operator. The new management has committed to continuing railroad excursions around the cranberry bogs but they intend to run on a more seasonal schedule.

00:00 Intro
01:20 Ex-Edaville 3
10:13 Edaville 11
15:25 Doubleheader