POVA Dedicates Locomotive to Former CMO

All photos courtesy of Port of Pend Oreille/Pend Oreille Valley Railroad.

Short line Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (POVA), headquartered in Usk, Wash., dedicated newly painted GP9 102 on Jan. 26 to its former Chief Mechanical Officer, Brad Byrd, who passed away in 2023.

Kelly Driver, Executive Director of the Port of Pend Oreille, which manages POVA, says, “Brad’s wife Jenny and daughter Jordan were there to christen the locomotive (with sparkling cider) in Brad’s honor. This is the first locomotive we have ever dedicated.” 

Byrd hired on with POVA in 1998, advancing to the position of CMO and working there continuously until being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2020. Driver says, “Brad was with us for more than 20 years and was instrumental in getting our locomotive repair business started and built up. The locomotive was completely rebuilt by the POVA shop crew with new engine, new generator, rebuilt trucks and rewired, and of course painted.” Driver expects POVA 102 will return to service during the final week of January.

POVA operates 17 miles of former Milwaukee Road track between Usk and Newport, Wash., as well as 25 miles of former BNSF (originally Great Northern) track from Newport east to Dover, Idaho, plus 7 miles of trackage rights from Dover into North Sandpoint on a joint BNSF/Union Pacific line. Its primary traffic base is lumber, wood chips and fertilizer, with additional services in car storage and locomotive repair.