The 1881 Como Roundhouse
The Como Roundhouse, built by Italian stonemasons in 1881.
It served as the maintenance center for all the locomotives working out of Como. The roundhouse eventually included the original 6 stalls plus two wooden additions bringing the total to 19 stalls by 1900. After the railway left town in 1939, the original stone structure was used for varies purposes including a Sawmill in the 1950s and by the 1970s the building's future looked bleak.
The Como Roundhouse History
Click below to learn more about the rich history of the Como Railway Complex.
The Como Roundhouse Today
The Roundhouse is a major part of the overall Como Project's effort to preserve and restore a segment of the old Denver South Park & Pacific railway complex in Como, Colorado. The three main railway structures in the complex are the Train Depot, Railway Hotel and Stone Roundhouse along with a collection of smaller structures.
In 2016 the Como roundhouse was leased to the South Park Rail Society. Our current effort involves developing two of the roundhouse's stalls into a locomotive serving area where our locomotive will live in the near future. We will also be replicating the original wooden floor throughout the building and developing the roundhouse into a public museum focused on the railway history of the South Park and its influence on the people of Como and Park County.
Members of the Denver South Park & Pacific Historical Society and the South Park Rail Soceity are currently working on rebuild a portion of the original railyard around the roundhouse property.
A common question is "How far will the new track go"? Well, the answer is "Not Too Far". There are no plans or intentions of building a tourist railroad out of Como. Rather, the plan is to operate a steam locomotive around the rebuilt railyard for special events and focus our efforts more on the preservation of rolling stock and the original structures of the Como Railway Complex. There is discussion about exploring a possible extension towards the King Branch Wye one mile north of Como but that is not part of the current Como Project.
It needs to be recognized that the current preservation efforts of the South Park Rail Society would not be possible if it was not for the vision, work and money of a number of people that came before us. People like Bill and Greg Kazel that saved the roundhouse in the 1980s or Chuck and Kathy Brantigan that have invested their own money into maintaining it to this day.
The efforts of David Tomkins also need to be recognized. Together with History Colorado they were able to save the Train depot from collapse and even today, Mr. Tomkins has focused his own resources into restoring and renovating the Como Hotel. Due to his efforts, we can now stay in the same hotel rooms that the passengers of the Colorado & Southern Railway did over a hundred years ago.
For many years, the Denver South Park & Pacific Historical Society and it's current President Bob Schoppe have worked to save and preserve the history of the South Park Line. However, their efforts have not only been centered on saving the Como Depot but the entire DSP&P and it's remains. Today, they still work to promote the preservation of the history and artifacts of the Denver, South Park & Pacific RR and related railroads.
Currently, the DSP&P Historical Society has leased the Como Depot which they are developing as a Museum/Visitor Center. While the roundhouse will be the center for restoring the “big stuff” the depot, under the leadership of the DSP&PHS will continue to tell the story of the South Park Line.