The "Cranberry Belt Line." In its early days, the Edaville Railroad referred to itself as the "Cranberry Belt Line" as Developer Ellis D. Atwood originally built his 2-foot gauge railroad in South Carver, MA, for the purpose of servicing his cranberry plantation. Initially, he gave rides to friends and neighbors, and eventually, the operation took off as a tourist attraction. The cranberry bogs farmed by Ellis Atwood are still in use today, and very likely, the cranberries that you buy in the grocery store come from southeastern Massachusetts. They are farmed today by a third party, but one of the major customers continues to be Ocean Spray.
On December, 31st of 2023, the folks at the present-day Edaville Railroad....now known as Edaville Family Theme Park....decided to run a double-header, steam special, to allow patrons to photograph the trains in locations where park visitors are not normally allowed, like this spot here, next to the cranberry bog on the west side of Turtle Creek Reservoir. In this frame, the former Monson Railroad 0-4-4T #3 leads the special train, with Edaville's own #11 right behind her. Although the #3 is on loan from the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum in Portland, Maine, she's right at home here in South Carver, for she ran on the original Edaville Railroad for nearly half a century, after she was retired in Maine.
