Edaville Railroad

llis D. Atwood gave this historic amusement park its name, his initials (E.D.A). He started this railroad by purchasing most of the surviving equipment from Maine’s once expansive network of two-foot gauge rail’s and had them trucked south to Carver, Massachusetts. This was the making of Edaville Railroad. In Maine, these two-foot gauge rails covered several sections of the state starting in the late 1800’s. These short line railroads fell prey to the depression and competition from automobiles. With the railroads shutting down, Ellis D. Atwood began purchasing the remaining rails in 1946 and 1947 and had it trucked to cranberry bogs of Carver, Mass. Atwood had a plan, he built a railroad 5 ½ miles long around his 1,800 acre plantation of cranberries. He used the trains to service his bogs as well as hauling paying customers through the plantation for sightseeing. This operation evolved into a “Family Fun Park”; with an emphasis on carnival type rides, bright lights and extravagant Christmas displays. Edaville Railroad became a local institution, and drew visitors from far and wide. Now... Jon Delli Priscoli purchased Edaville and it's 250 acres in 2002. There have been many exciting changes under his ownership including, including the reconfiguration of the entire rail course and the incorporation of vintage amusement rides such as an antique carousel and an illuminated Ferris Wheel. Other attractions throughout the year include, “Day Out With Thomas™” a family event centered around the Thomas the Tank Engine™ classic storybooks; the National Cranberry Festival, which features a train ride through the fall cranberry harvest; and the Christmas Festival of Lights offering rides through brilliantly lit displays in the winter.