Here, the distant whistle of an oldtime locomotive sounds the welcome to visitors as they step through a wrought-iron fence from one world into quite another. Thousands of glimmering lights illuminate the trees as songs of Christmas fill the air.

Holiday displays and train cars border the winding road leading to the train depot, where the heart of Edaville Railroad resides. Against the chilly wind, children and parents board an authentic locomotive.

They take a trip back in time to Peacedale, a miniature re-creation of a New England village glistening with lights along the 5.5 mile route. As snow gently falls and the train chugs along, the scene outside the window is that of a picture postcard.

Set on 1,800 acres surrounded by cranberry bogs, Edaville Railroad epitomizes holiday spirit for thousands of local residents.

'As a kid, I remember thinking it was huge, larger than life,' said Carver resident Mike DiCarlo, 24. 'You could go on a real train, do all these great things'... And it's a tradition parents could share with their children.'

In 1992 the trains stopped chugging. The music ceased. And the residents of Peacedale said good-buy -- until now.

After signing a 20-year lease last April and giving the park a much needed face lift, Jack Flagg and partners Doug Beaton and Jon Delli Priscolli, all of the Cranrail Corporation, reopened Edaville Railroad on Labor Day.

The park had come close to remaining a mere memory. Financial problems involving a lease dispute prompted owner George Bartholomew to close the railroad in 1992, ending a 50-year tradition that originated when Ellis D. Atwood, a cranberry farmer, began giving rides to friends along the 5.5 mile track he used to work his farm.

Mr. Atwood died in 1955. Though Edaville changed hands twice after his death, the legacy he'd created remained.

Over the years, the park became known for its lavish light displays and picturesque train rides. Families would travel for miles to board the authentic locomotives and catch a little holiday cheer.

'I remember coming here as a small girl,' said Edith Brightman, 45, of New Bedford earlier this week, as her 6-year old son, Deven, examined a Christmas display. 'My brothers would get very excited about the trains... I remember looking and seeing so many beautiful lights and thinking it looked like one of those winter wonderland scenes from television.'

Residents from near and far counted a visit to Edaville Railroad among their essential Christmas traditions. Even as disputes over property, leases and finances waged on, supporters hoped Mr. Bartholomew and the Atwood estate could work through their disagreements.

There was talk of a reopening for the Christmas season in 1993. But hopes were dashed that September when Mr. Bartholomew sold most of the railroad's trains to a Maine historical trust.

And thus began the long battle to revive Edaville Railroad once and for all.

Over the years, various investors vied for control of the business, sporadically opening the park between 1996 and 1998. But each time, plans fell through, investors pulled out and the 1,800 acres bordering the thriving cranberry bogs remained desolate.

A train aficionado, Jack Flagg had accumulated a sizable collection of memorabilia over the years, including an actual train, in his Marshfield yard. One day before he was slated to sell much of it to an auctioneer, he received a call asking if he was 'still interested in Edaville.'

Previously associated with South Carver Rail Inc., which attempted to revive the park two years ago, Mr. Flagg 'always liked Edaville. And I liked trains'..

'The opportunity presented itself and I didn't hesitate for the simple reason it was a shame to see it not come back,' he said.

Once picturesque, Edaville Railroad had suffered from years of neglect. Vegetation grew high above the railroad tracks and buildings were on the verge of collapse.

'It was a very rundown piece of property,' Mr. Flagg said.

He and his partners spent several months this year cleaning the park and demolishing many of the buildings, including the water tower, the barbecue area, the depot, Cranberry Junction and the restrooms.

The last six months were devoted to rebuilding. A new train station, complete with improved restroom facilities, includes a gift shop selling Edaville memorabilia, cranberry products and everything to do with trains.

The Freighthouse Cafe serves up hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and ice cream, replacing the snack bar. Behind the depot, a renovated caboose hosts birthday parties and can accommodate approximately 40 kids.

A new gazebo, outlined with shimmering white lights, stands on top of the hill before the depot. And the sign spelling 'Edaville Railroad' in towering letters is once again bright with signature red lights.

The renovations also include new septic and irrigation systems, repaved roads -- all of the most basic improvements to get Edaville up and running, said Mr. Flagg.

'This is a major effort. I've been here seven days a week,' he added.

Two diesel trains, equipped with floodlights to ensure easier viewing by riders, are running. Though they probably won't have steam-engine trains this season, Mr. Flagg doesn't anticipate a long wait for the authentic locomotives to be back on track.

Since leasing the railroad, Mr. Flagg has worked with the Maine trust where the bulk of Edaville's trains went in 1993. He's acquired original and new pieces, also bringing his own collection to Edaville, which will be displayed in the museum when opened.

It will take a total of three to five years before the park is completely finished. Mr. Flagg wants to turn Edaville into a 'fun, family park,' adding new attractions, more lights, displays, nature trails, a picnic area and more.

Although Edaville Railroad's Christmas Festival gets the most attention, the park has always been open from May until January, attracting a substantial crowd during the summer months. During one weekend this summer, Mr. Flagg and some friends went on a leisurely, two-hour train ride in an open car.

'We just enjoyed the sky, the darkness and the moon,' he said. Evening train rides in open cars, replete with hors d' oeuvres, are also a future possibility for Edaville.

Since the reopening, Edaville's phones are 'ringing off the hook,' reported Mr. Flagg.

'Many, many people have come up to us and just thanked us for reopening Edaville,' he added.

On a recent, foggy Monday evening, dozens of families visited the new Edaville -- some for the first time.

'We saw the advertisement on the television and we thought we'd come down and see it,' said Earl Nadeau of Acton. 'It's really great. My daughter had been here and now that it's open again, she'll be back.'

Paul Moakley, 16, an Edaville employee and Carver resident, shared some history with Mr. Nadeau and his friends as they walked through the park. His grandmother worked at Edaville for over 42 years, as well as his mother, father and brother. Now, he carries on the tradition.

'It was left to rot. This is an incredible thing,' Paul said. 'There isn't another place like this on earth.'

And as the whistle sounds, kids peer into the darkness, watching the track and waiting for their turn to board.

'There is something magic about trains,' said Mr. Flagg.

Edaville Railroad will be open through Jan. 3. Admission prices are $10.50 for adults, $8.50 for senior citizens, $6.50 for children 3 to 12 years old, and free for children under 3. It's open from 4-9 p.m. on weekdays and 2-9 p.m. on weekends.

In South Carver, Atwood set up a 5 1/2 mile loop trough his bogs and used the trains both to service the bogs and to haul paying passengers. The operation was named Edaville Railroad, a name formed from Atwood's initials (E.D.A.). Over the years the railroad evolved into a 'Family Fun Park'; with an emphasis on carnival type rides, bright lights and extravagant Christmas displays. Many non-operational display locomotives and cars of various gauges were also added. Edaville Railroad became a local institution, and drew visitors from far and wide.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's the railroad ran into financial problems, and shut down in 1991. The equipment sat outside and unprotected until 1993, when it was purchased by the newly formed Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum in Portland, Maine. The purchase of the equipment saved what is surely the largest collection of two foot gauge equipment on the continent from sale at auction. The museum announced that the equipment would be moved to Portland during September, 1993. Even better was the news that the equipment would move in convoy pulled by a fleet of antique trucks provided by members of the American Truck Historical Society. On the 18th of September, 1993, I arranged to stop at Edaville one last time, since I was passing nearby on other business. It was the day before the "Big Move" north, and we expected that preparations would be nearing completion. When we arrived at Edaville that day we found that we could walk, or even drive, right in. The days of nine dollar admission and little tickets to prove you had paid were long gone, and security was nil. Many of the freight and passenger cars and some of the locomotives had already been loaded on trailers and hitched behind the trucks. The old trucks, some with direct chain drive, were almost as interesting as the cars and locomotives. Almost every patch of ground was covered with trucks and trailers, and some of the streets were packed full of trucks parked nose to tail. The lawn where the Railfan Weekend fleamarkets had been held had become a vast muddy parking lot.

As we walked around, the volunteers were working rapidly (maybe even franticly) to get the rest of the equipment loaded for the next day's move. Passenger and freight cars were loaded on trailers with a forklift by simply lifting the cars off their trucks and setting them onto trailers. Many cars were in such bad shape that they sagged several inches at either end as they were lifted. Although not the ideal way to load cars, it was effective and fast. Locomotives and other heavy pieces of equipment were pushed and pulled up a ramp onto the trucks. We watched Number 8 as it was pushed up a ramp onto a heavy-duty trailer donated by Hallamore, a major heavy hauling company.

The mood was dismal. Dozens of people stood around in the rain talking about the first time they had seen the two footers running; the first time they had ridden behind the little steamers; and other reminisces about the now closed operation. The atmosphere was somewhat like a funeral, for we all knew that the trains probably would never be back. Talking to the volunteer workers we determined that the equipment would leave in convoy at about 7:00 AM the next day, to be out of the state by 10:00 AM, which was when the over the road special movement permit expired. As we drove away, we were all thinking 'It would be nice to see the convoy leave tomorrow,' but no one wanted to be the one to propose the idea of getting up at 5:00 AM to be on the side of the highway at 7:00 AM. When someone finally mentioned the idea, we all agreed at once. That evening we called around to find a camcorder to borrow, got the other equipment out and planned the best spots to wait for the convoy. The next morning we rolled from home at an obnoxiously early hour, arriving roadside at 6:45 AM. We picked a nice spot a few miles north of Edaville along northbound Rte. 495, set the cameras up a bit above road level, and then settled down to wait. By 9:00 AM we were getting tired of waiting and tired of the very strange looks we were getting from passing drivers. We decided to pack up the gear, go north to the next exit, turn around and drive south to Edaville to check on the status of the very late convoy. About half a mile north of our spot, while moving along at 70+ mph we passed a rest area filled with people clearly waiting for the convoy. Quickly deciding not to head south, we darted across the grass between the rest area and the highway, picked a spot with a nice wide view, and set up our gear. A better photo spot couldn't have been found, as we had a wide open view of the highway and the trucks would be rolling up a slight grade, promising great sound from the old tractors. About half the people in the rest area were there to see the railroad equipment and the other half were there to see the antique trucks. Surprisingly, we seemed to be the only ones in the rest area with a CB radio. Talking to other folks up and down the road, we established a series of checkpoints to alert everyone when the convoy approached. We also got countless questions from passing trucks and cars, wondering about the vast number of people standing by the side of the road and on the overpasses. As people from all over eastern Massachusetts turned out to say goodbye to Edaville, it began to look a bit like a Presidential funeral, with hundreds of people lining the roads and overpasses. A bit before 10 AM, a trucker said over the radio 'You'll never believe what I just saw coming onto the highway'. Within seconds everyone in the rest area and on the side of the road knew: the convoy was finally coming (so much for being out of state by 10 AM!). Just then two police cars pulled into the rest area, one blocking the entrance and the other rolling along ordering us out!!! It turns out that the rest area was a planned inspection stop for the convoy. But the police had waited until the trucks were less than 10 minutes away before they cleared us out! There was no time to find another good location, and waiting for the convoy to leave the inspection stop wasn't an option, due to time constraints. We tossed the gear in the back of the truck and roared out of the rest area while getting off a CB warning about the stop to the rest of the crowd waiting roadside. Several cars and trucks drove across the median and parked in the rest area on the other side of the highway, but we figured that trying to cross two lanes of speeding traffic and then run back across on foot wasn't the safest idea in the world. We dashed north to the next exit, turned around, and raced south towards the oncoming convoy. CB reports indicated that we were closing with the convoy at a combined speed of over 100 mph, and that they were barely a couple miles south of us. We got off at the next exit, parked the truck in the first available place and ran out onto the overpass, arriving just as the lead police cars in the convoy passed under. Soon the convoy itself was passing under, with locomotive bells ringing and flags flying on the trucks. Trying to shoot videotape through chain link fence while attaching the camera to a tripod is a bit difficult, but I managed to do it (barely). Arghhhhhh...the perfect photo spot spoiled by the State Police....shooting through chain link is no substitute for wide open shots. We filmed and photographed the convoy through the chain link 'suicide fence' and then jumped back in our truck to follow the trucks up to the rest area. Because the Police had closed the highway entrance ramps to allow the convoy to pass, there was a long line of cars waiting to get on the highway. After we got past some of the traffic we were able to drive right beside the convoy while I videotaped from the passenger side window. Traffic on the highway was reduced to 30 mph or less as the convoy slowed to a stop in the right lane prior to pulling into the rest area. There were three groups of people on the road that day, the rail and/or truck fans, who were trying to photograph, film and follow the convoy, and the poor unsuspecting folks who suddenly happened upon a line of 40 antique trucks carrying antique trains down a 70 mile per hour highway at 30 mph. The third group was of course the convoy, with its State Police and Blue Knights motorcycle escort. The Police motorcycles put on quite a show as they raced along at 60+ between the lanes of nearly stopped traffic trying to catch up to the front of the convoy after blocking onramp traffic. Not all of Edaville's equipment went to the Maine Narrow Gauge RR & Museum. All of the standard gauge, 3 foot gauge, other non-2 foot gauge, and 2 foot gauge display equipment was sold off to a variety of new owners. This equipment has been scattered all over the country, and much of it has vanished from view. One piece of equipment which has not vanished is Edaville's largest display item, the B&M/MEC Flying Yankee/Cheshire articulated streamliner. It was removed from the Edaville grounds a month after the 'Big Move', and now rests beside NH Route 302 in Glen, NH. It is now owned by the State of New Hampshire, and is to be restored for operation on the 'Mountain Route' through Crawford Notch, when funds allow.