Four Feet Of Fun
For Steam Sunday here's two two footers (four feet of fun get it?!) from last year and this cold winter morning photo charter on an iconic little tourist railroad.
Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.
For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.
To learn more check out these links:
mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/
Number 3 led the four car photo freight which was our main subject, but in order to travel to the spots around Lower Atwood Reservoir we rode in the regular passenger train ahead of the freight pulled by a second steam engine, Edaville number 11. It was built in 1925 by H.K. Porter Inc. as a 30 inch narrow gauge 0-4-0 tank engine for the Raritan Copper Works in Perth Amboy, NJ. Raritan merged with Anaconda Copper in 1934 and the plant continued to operate until 1975 though I don't know if the steam locomotives ran there until the end.
Shortly after Anaconda closed the old Edaville acquired number 11 and sister number 10, and both were static displays for decades. In 2013 number 11 was restored to operation by by Brian Fanslau of Maine Locomotive & Machine Works using parts from number 10 making for an entirely new 'kit bashed' locomotive that doesn't at all resemble her as built appearance during her service life in NJ. In addition to being regauged for Edaville's 24 inch track she got a new wooden cab, boiler, and fully functioning tender among other modifications and does look mighty pretty.
Near the end of our morning the two locomotives were posed side by side near the shop area south of the private Eda Ave. crossing as seen in this side profile view.
Carver, Massachusetts
Sunday December 22, 2024
Four Feet Of Fun
For Steam Sunday here's two two footers (four feet of fun get it?!) from last year and this cold winter morning photo charter on an iconic little tourist railroad.
Like many people of a certain age who grew up in Eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island a visit to this place was a right of passage, particularly during the holiday season. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cold nights, warm wooden coaches, and twinkling lights beneath stars, and along the bogs of cranberry country. Edaville Railroad was a special place for generations, and it had been more than 35 years since I last visited. Named for its founder, Ellis D. Atwood, who did so much to save the unique two foot gauge equipment, Edaville was later purchased by Nelson Blount of Steamtown fame after Mr. Atwood's tragic death. When Blount also died young in an accident their spirit and dream lived up through successive owners until finally foundering in the early 1990s. Despite most of the classic two foot gauge equipment being repatriated to Maine and the original five and a half mile long loop around Atwood Reservoir being cut back to only two miles Edaville has survived.
For the first time in 35 or more years I returned thanks to the suggestion of a friend for a fun little photo charter featuring two steam locomotives, sponsored by the railroad and coordinated by Bill Willis of Precious Escapes Photography (make sure to give him a like or follow if you don't already). The star of the show was Edaville #3, an 0-4-4T Forney type locomotive built by Vulcan Locomotive works in 1913 for Maine's Monson Railroad. It ran on the six mile long pike from Monson Junction to its namesake town until the railroad's demise in 1943, the last common carrier 2 ft gauge railroad in operation in the US. Following the road's abandonment, #3 operated at the original Edaville Railroad for nearly 50 years, and was part of the original collection of equipment that migrated to the then new Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland following Edaville Railroad's closure. #3 has been a frequent visitor to other 2 ft gauge recreational railroads in New England when not in Portland and returned to the reestablished Edaville Railroad a few years ago where it continues to operate.
To learn more check out these links:
mainenarrowgauge.org/collection-roster/
Number 3 led the four car photo freight which was our main subject, but in order to travel to the spots around Lower Atwood Reservoir we rode in the regular passenger train ahead of the freight pulled by a second steam engine, Edaville number 11. It was built in 1925 by H.K. Porter Inc. as a 30 inch narrow gauge 0-4-0 tank engine for the Raritan Copper Works in Perth Amboy, NJ. Raritan merged with Anaconda Copper in 1934 and the plant continued to operate until 1975 though I don't know if the steam locomotives ran there until the end.
Shortly after Anaconda closed the old Edaville acquired number 11 and sister number 10, and both were static displays for decades. In 2013 number 11 was restored to operation by by Brian Fanslau of Maine Locomotive & Machine Works using parts from number 10 making for an entirely new 'kit bashed' locomotive that doesn't at all resemble her as built appearance during her service life in NJ. In addition to being regauged for Edaville's 24 inch track she got a new wooden cab, boiler, and fully functioning tender among other modifications and does look mighty pretty.
Near the end of our morning the two locomotives were posed side by side near the shop area south of the private Eda Ave. crossing as seen in this side profile view.
Carver, Massachusetts
Sunday December 22, 2024