This just came through on my rss feed:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/carver/featu ... t-Edaville

Mr. Atwood is probably doing barrel rolls in his grave right now (or laughing like hell at the idiots who are now running Edaville or what's left of it)...

Does anyone know the weight per yard on all the rail at Edaville?

I suppose there are about 6 miles total, 5.5 on the loop and .5 mile of sidings, Does that sound about right?

Generally the rail is 50-60 lb. out on "the main" -not sure what size everything else is. While much of the loop trackage is still intact, it is broken near the site of the former "Ballpark" station by a housing development. A shorter ride, roughly 2.2 miles was created when a new connecting track was put in approx 6 years ago.

I shot this picture in 2004 while checking out rail for possible acquisition by the WW&F.

Perhaps EDA's spirit is restless, but I would argue he should be resting in peace.

First, upon EDA's death, F Nelson Blount comes in and not only saves Edaville, he expands it.

After FNB's death, ways are found to keep the attraction afloat for over two decades despite its out of the way location.

When efforts fail, most of the Maine equipment is returned to its historical home state, where efforts are underway to rebuild some of the routes of the Maine 2 footers.

Edaville struggles forward, against the odds, and even in these bleak times finds a way to get an operating steamer down to the bogs. The current owners should be praised for the effort and expense of this.

As EDA looks down I can't help but think that the 2 foot preservation scene in Maine makes him smile. His beloved trains are back home, and a whole new preservation movement is in place to display and interpret them in their own locale.

Do you think he'd quibble that his ex W&Q coach can haul passengers on the original W&Q ROW and not the cranberry bog? I doubt it.

Edaville was one of my favorite places as a kid, and thanks to a wonderful mother, I made it to many Christmas runs and railfan weekends. It was special. But as history played out, it was a vacation home for a bunch of elderly Mainers who have gone home. I am cool with that.

Goodnight, you princes of Maine... You kings of New England.

Too true, and a very good point. Edaville was merely a means to an end, and I'm quite sure Mr. Atwood would be quite pleased that a good portion of his collection is or will be running on "home rails". It just seems silly to have a non-Maine two-footer running there; then again, this will probably be the last time any steam locomotives will run at Edaville, so it's probably a moot point. It's just as well, I suppose, since Edaville has long since served its intended purpose and it's time to move on.

So what happened to the cute little English plantation engine that used to be there?

Hi Jim,

The last I heard, the Hudswell is still there and seems to be listed on the sales prospectus. I seem to recall she needs some boiler work, but perhaps someone else has more up-to-date information.


Best Regards,
Glenn