Edaville Railroad is a heritage railroad in South Carver, Massachusetts, opened in 1947. It is generally regarded as one of the oldest heritage railroad operations in the United States. It is a narrow gauge line that operates excursion trains for tourists, built by the late Ellis D. Atwood (initials E.D.A, for which Edaville is named) on his sprawling cranberry plantation in Southeastern Massachusetts.HistoryConception and openingAtwood purchased two locomotives and most of the passenger and freight cars when the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad was dismantled in 1941. After World War II he acquired two former Monson Railroad locomotives and some surviving cars from the defunct Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Maine. This equipment ran on narrow gauge tracks, as opposed to the more common narrow gauge in the western United States. Atwood purchased the equipment for use on his 1800acre cranberry plantation in South Carver. Sand and supplies were hauled in to the bogs, and cranberries were transported to a "screen house" where they were dried and then sent to market. Atwood's neighbors were enchanted with the diminutive railroad. At first, Atwood offered rides for free. When the demand for rides soared, he charged a nickel a ride. Eventually the line became less of a working railroad and more of a tourist attraction.