Edaville Discussion

[fourthsub]

Edaville up for sale. Owner hopes to sell as tourist attraction within 3 months or will sell all trains tracks and land to developers.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... _for_sale/

Edaville opened in 1947 after Ellis D. Atwood built a 5 1/2 mile rail bed around his cranberry plantation and started one of the world's first tourist railroads. It closed in 1992, but reopened in 1999 after Delli Priscoli and two partners leased the park from the Atwood family. Delli Priscoli later purchased the facility outright. Edaville will hold what could be its last annual Festival of Lights, featuring more than 7 million Christmas lights, from Nov. 12 to Jan. 2.

Moderator note: for discussion of the "original" Edaville, please visit The Original Edaville Railroad (1947-1991) Thread.

[frrc]

Wasn't a portion of the property sold off to developers a while ago ?

[Reader#108]

Isn't the property owned by the same guy who owns the Grafton Upton Railroad? And another dumb question, Wolfboro Railroad 250, that is on display there....how far away from restoration may this be, or is it too far gone?

[steveh]

Anything is "restorable," and it sure would be nice to see the 250 running again. I spent many summer days of my youth on fire patrol, putting out small fires along the Wolfeboro RR ROW that were caused by this engine...and loved every minute of it. Where could she run now?? Conway? Rockland branch? The Naugy?

Stephen

[RAS]

Since the price for Edaville is about a billion nine hundred and ninety million less than for Southcoast Rail, maybe the state should buy the equipment and dual gauge New Bedford to Middleborough. Two of the two-foot gauge coaches are about right for the per train ridership expected out of New Bedford on Southcoast Rail.

RAS

[GP40MC1118]

Better used for the Blue Line Extension to Lynn or the Useless, er...Urban Ring or the Green Line Extension...

D

[Tracer]

He could lay a third rail on his GU line and run a dual gauge operation.

[Reader#108]

Somewhat off topic, but I lived in Revere most of my life and that extension will happen around the same time the frickin roller coasters go back in down the beach....anyhow, where would these things go? Wiscaset? I don't think the MNGRR will take anything, they seem to be ready to move/fold as well? And does that Santa Fe locomotive that there have parts and such, or is it just a display item?

[RAS]

The ten million dollar price tag has this doomed, as far as any chance of operating it as a successful business. Consider how many tickets you would have to sell to recover that price plus the yearly fuel and operating costs, salaries, insurance, and taxes.

RAS

[caduceus]

The $10m can be seen as a real estate investment. You could probably make that back easy down the road by eventually selling to the developers. If in the meantime, you can make a few bucks on operations, then it can be a decent investment.

However, history seems to be against being able to make decent money in the operations.

[frrc]

Considering the slump in the real estate market, the property could be sold off for commercial interests, or 40b(low income) housing, which allows the developer to get state/federal aid, and bypass's any zoning rules. A sad scenario.

[RAS]

Just look at the debt service, if you did not have the ten million to put into this up front, and had to borrow instead, you would be paying around $600,000 in interest expense on the mortgage each year without retiring a cent of principal. I doubt this operation can generate that kind of money. Nice toy for somebody like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, who can buy it outright. Pretty tough for anybody else.

RAS

[GP40MC1118]

The "Santa Fe" unit is ex-MBTA FP10 1153 and is just a shell. The prime mover was removed long ago when
it was first acquired by the Cape Cod Central/QBT group. The rumor was it was going to be converted
to a control car.

That went by the wayside and it ended up at Edaville. There was talk it was going to be some sort
of theatre room for movies, but obviously it never happened.

D

[3rdrail]

What ever happened to their huge railroad and traction memorabilia collection that the old Edaville displayed in their railroad museum ?

[NRGeep]

The "Santa Fe" unit is ex-MBTA FP10 1153 and is just a shell. The prime mover was removed long ago when
it was first acquired by the Cape Cod Central/QBT group. The rumor was it was going to be converted
to a control car.

That went by the wayside and it ended up at Edaville. There was talk it was going to be some sort
of theatre room for movies, but obviously it never happened.

D

Could be a nice static display at the expanded South Station, repainted in MBTA colors.