Sublunar Photography

The Como Roundhouse was built by Italian stonemasons in Como, Colorado, in 1881. It is said to be the oldest operating roundhouse in the United States. It originally had 6 stalls but by 1900, a wooden addition (which no longer exists) brought the total number of stalls up to 19. In addition to the roundhouse, the site also includes the associated Train Depot and Como Hotel. The Como Train Depot was built in 1879 and the first train arrived on June 21st of that year. The current hotel was built in 1897 after the original one burned down and the more plain structure, built on the original foundation, replaced it. Train service to Como ceased in 1939 after which the roundhouse, depot and hotel were abandoned.

By the 1970s, the entire site was ruinous and would likely not exist today if not for the work of various individuals and groups over the years who have poured their own time and money into restoration efforts. All work is done by passionate volunteers who work tirelessly to preserve and honor the history of the area. It is the opinion of this author that these volunteers are not only doing great work, but they are living out the wildest dreams which lie just under the surface of every man; they are directly restoring/repairing/rebuilding a unique historic site which includes but is not limited to old locomotives and related machinery. Hell yes. Speaking of which, the roundhouse obtained a Baldwin steam locomotive some time ago. Her name is Klondike Kate and she had been abandoned and rusting away in a field in Oklahoma before being brought to Como where she was operational for some time until a recent piston failure took her out of commission. Klondike Kate is currently being rebuilt in the shops at Como. As if that's not enough, there's even a handcar which you can drive a short distance and back down the tracks. The massive turntable is one of the more obvious examples of the restoration work done here; a few years ago it was dismantled and the pit was filed with debris. Now, it can be effortlessly rotated by hand as it spins around smoothly on rebuilt bearings.

The Como Roundhouse is a must-see location for anyone who has any sense whatsoever. Being a volunteer force, they are only open certain days/times but generally have an open house about once a month. I highly recommend visiting and making a donation. Currently, the roundhouse and train depot are both made available for vistors during the monthly open house. The hotel remains boarded up at this time. Future plans for the site include restoration of the hotel, to the point that rooms could be made available, and maybe even a restaurant or brewpub operating out of the former kitchen. Maybe someday, they'll even extend the current tracks and run a small railroad out of it-but that's currently beyond the scope of the project.

Source: South Park Rail Society

Historic Photos of Como Roundhouse

End Historic Photos

Como Train Depot

Como Hotel

This site started out in the 1870's as a locomotive repair shop for the Clover Leaf District of the Nickel Plate Railroad (which was formed through a merger of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad). The roundhouse and turntable were added in the early 1920's. "The Nickel Plate Road was one of the last major steam railroads to switch to the new diesel-electric locomotives. One reason for this was the famed 'Berkshires' a 2-8-4 wheel arrangement steam locomotive capable of pulling heavy freight trains at high speed. In the early 1950s, the Nickel Plate took a look at the diesels and decided to stick with the Berkshires."(3) Nickle Plate, with other mid-western railroads, eventually merged with Norfolk Southern in 1964 but the roundhouse here continued to service locomotives and rail cars through the 1970's. These buildings eventually fell into disuse and after 40 years the structure is unfortunately experiencing demolition through neglect and as of the time of this trip, most of the roof has collapsed.

Here's an awesome video of the last time this roundhouse saw action.

Source: 1, 2, 3.