The Edaville Railroad was built by Ellis D. Atwood at his cranberry bogs in South Carver. He began collecting two foot gauge equipment from bankrupt and closed railroads in Maine. By 1947 he had completed a 5.5 mile loop around his property and was operating four locomotives and many pieces of rolling stock from the Maine two foot gauge railroads. The line was originally built to be a utility line to help with maintenance at his bogs, but the railroad's popularity quickly spread and the line began hauling many tourists instead.
The line has had many owners over the years and endured many hard times. The railroad continues to survive though, the current owners are doing everything they can to make Edaville the best it can be. Edaville currently runs a 0-6-0 that was originally used on the sugar cane fields in Fiji. They have made many "Americanizations" to the engine including a new cab.
I saw on the internet that part of the Edaville mainline was going to be moved for a housing development and that motivated me to make my first visit to this interesting railroad. I took part in a photo special on January 2, 2005. This was the official last day of operation before the tracks over Mt. Urann were ripped up. The photo special had ten runbys that day before Edaville opened for the general public. I also had that opportunity to ride the very last train over Mt Urann. I sat in the front seat of the first coach and it was truly an unforgettable experience. I could not see much more that the gauges in the engine and the steam coming from the stack but it was really a great trip.
