Pend Oreille Valley Railroad

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Pend Orielle Valley Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersNewport
Reporting markPOVA
LocaleEastern Washington
Northern Idaho
Dates of operation1979–present
PredecessorMilwaukee Road
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length41 miles (66 km)
Other
Websitehttp://povarr.com
  • v
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Pend Oreille Valley Railroad
Legend
 Salmo–Troup Rail Trail
Salmo
BNSF Railway

The Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (reporting mark POVA) is a shortline railroad located in Usk, in northeast Washington.

Route[]

The POVA serves the communities of Usk, Dalkena, Newport, Oldtown, Priest River, Laclede and has trackage rights from Dover-Sandpoint via the Union Pacific Railroad.[1]

The Route from Usk to Newport is former Milwaukee Road trackage and Newport-Dover is former Great Northern RY trackage.[2]

The line used to go to Metaline Falls but was abandoned north of Usk in 2016

History[]

The line was built by the Idaho and Washington Northern Railroad between 1907 and 1911. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (MILW) acquired the line in 1916.

The MILW entered financial difficulty in the 1970s and the Newport - Metaline Falls section was sold to following the company's downsizing. The Port of Pend Oreille established the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad and contracted railroad holding company to manage the POVA. Freight service began on October 1, 1979, and the Port of Pend Oreille took over the POVA's management from Kyle Railways in 1984. The Newport - Dover section was acquired from BNSF on March 3, 1998.

Heritage railroad[]

Beginning in 1981, the North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club worked with the POVA to operate a seasonal excursion train service on several weekends in the summer and fall.

The 20-mile (32 km) round trip runs from Ione to Metaline Falls along the spectacular Box Canyon, passing through several tunnels and crossing several bridges and wooden trestles. The passenger cars consisted of 3 standard coaches as well as 3 open-air cars and a caboose with some equipment borrowed from the .

Financial issues hurt the excursion train service, as upkeep and inspections became cost prohibitive. In October 2016, the railroad operated its last excursion.[3]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "POVA freight services". POVA website.
  2. ^ "POVA about". POVA website.
  3. ^ "The end of the scenic Ione-to-Metaline Falls train ride will impact the whole North Pend Oreille Valley | the Spokesman-Review".

External links[]

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