South Park Rail Society Acquires Como Roundhouse

Published: June 11, 2026

The South Park Rail Society has announced its has purchased the former Denver, South Park & Pacific roundhouse in Como, Colorado for the price of $400,000 from Kathy and Dr Charles Brantigan. This small community was once a vitally important town for the railroad, serving as a primary division point and maintenance facility, as well as the central point of several lines. To learn more abou the South Park Rail Society and support their efforts please visit their website at; https://www.southparkrailsociety.org/.

The society stated the following in a Facebook post on June 11th:

"WE DID IT! THANKS to the vast support of South Park Rail Society members and Supporters and with the successful awarding of a HISTORY COLORADO funding grant we raised the $400,000 to purchase the historic Como Roundhouse from Kathy and Dr Charles Brantigan.

We closed on the sale Tuesday June 9 at First American Title in Golden. Closing were Kathy and Dr Charles Brantigan, Bill Kazel, the person who originally saved the Como Roundhouse, Norm Acker, President of the SPRS, Tom Lawson VP / Treasurer of SPRS and Lisa Comito, Escrow Officer, First American Title.

After a three year effort orchestrated by one very focused perseverant individual; to agree on a sales price, terms, fundraising, grant application process and the co-operation of Kathy and Dr. Chuck Brantigan for their efforts to keep the Como Roundhouse preservation effort alive helping to organize an organization to take procession, and finally a closing. This culmination of efforts called for a celebration lunch at Mickey’s Sirloin in Denver, with Dr. Charles and Kathy Brantigan, Tom Lawson, Paul Blanchard, SPRS Volunteer Coordinator / Life Member and Bill Kazel, supporter.

This is a very important chapter of the Como Heritage Site that the historic Como Roundhouse is now in ownership of the non-profit South Park Rail Society dedicated to the ongoing preservation and insuring its long term viability on behalf of the general public to appreciate the history of an operating narrow gauge heritage site. It is also important to the dedicated Volunteers who have toiled, sacrificed and devoted their time to restore this Heritage Site and provide the general public open houses and educational experiences that they now have a an equity and pride of ownership as stakeholders.

We move on to the next chapter, acquisition of the pasture that surrounds the Como Roundhouse, Como Depot and the Como Hotel."

About Como, Colorado

Como is a small, high-altitude community in Park County, nestled in the expansive South Park valley about 10 miles northeast of Fairplay and roughly 9,775 feet above sea level. While today it serves primarily as a quiet vacation and summer home spot with a handful of year-round residents, Como once thrived as a vital division point, maintenance center, and company town for the narrow-gauge Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad (DSP&P)—later part of the Colorado & Southern Railway. Its story intertwines the broader narrative of Colorado’s mining boom, railroad expansion, and the rugged challenges of mountain railroading.

Early Settlement and the Gold Rush Era

Como’s roots trace back to the 1859 Colorado Gold Rush. Prospectors established a small hamlet in the area while seeking gold. As ranchers later homesteaded the fertile South Park grasslands for beef and hay to supply miners, the settlement grew modestly. It included basic amenities like a post office, store, saloons, and a cemetery. The townsite was formally laid out on what had been the 1860s Stubbs Ranch. The South Park Coal Company filed the plat on July 2, 1879.

The name “Como” honors the Italian lake and city, reflecting the many Italian coal miners and stonemasons who settled in the region.

The Arrival of the DSP&P Railroad

The DSP&P, founded in 1872 by Colorado Governor John Evans, aimed to connect Denver to the central Colorado mining districts and ultimately the Pacific (though it never reached the latter). Construction progressed slowly due to financial panics and terrain challenges. Tracks advanced up the Platte Canyon, reaching the summit of Kenosha Pass on May 19, 1879, and arriving in Como on or around June 21–27, 1879.

Como quickly became the primary division point and repair hub. The railroad built substantial facilities on the northeast edge of town, including a frame depot (with waiting room, ticket office, baggage room, and platform), a hotel, and support structures. Italian stonemasons constructed a durable stone roundhouse starting in 1881, which expanded over time. Coal branches served nearby mines. At its peak, the DSP&P operated 335 miles of narrow-gauge track, the largest such network in Colorado.

Strategic Importance as a Junction and Shops

Como’s location made it indispensable. From there, the main line crossed South Park to Garo, with spurs to Fairplay and Alma, then continued south over Trout Creek Pass toward Buena Vista, the Alpine Tunnel (the highest and one of the most expensive tunnels of its era), and Gunnison. In 1881–1882, a key branch—the “High Line”—departed north from Como over Boreas Pass to Breckenridge, Dillon, and eventually Leadville via Fremont Pass, crossing the Continental Divide twice.

This positioning turned Como into a bustling hub. In the late 1880s, 10 to 26 trains passed through daily. The population swelled to around 400–500 residents (plus transient railroad workers and passengers), with about 100 men employed in the roundhouse and shops. The railroad offered incentives like a library (with reading room, barber shop, and bath) to attract workers to the harsh, windy, high-altitude environment. The Pacific Hotel (later replaced after a 1896 fire) provided essential services.

The roundhouse served as the maintenance heart for locomotives working out of Como, and facilities supported heavy operations amid mining booms in Leadville and beyond. Como opened up South Park’s minerals, cattle, and hay to broader markets.

Decline and Abandonment

The boom was not sustainable. Railroad revenues fell in the early 20th century amid mining busts and competition. A 1909 fire destroyed shop facilities, which were relocated to Denver. The 1910 closure of the Alpine Tunnel (due to floods and maintenance issues) and abandonment of the southwest line dealt severe blows. By the 1910s, the population had plummeted; businesses closed, and many families left.

Service continued on a reduced scale until the mid-1930s. The last narrow-gauge passenger and freight trains operated through Como in April 1937 (with the final run on the DSP&P/C&S tracks noted around April 11 or 25, depending on the source). Tracks were pulled up by 1938, and the roundhouse closed permanently. Como’s population dropped to 39 by 1950.

Legacy and Preservation Today

Though the railroad era ended, Como’s railroad heritage endures. Historic structures like the stone roundhouse (one of the oldest in the U.S., now with a restored turntable and used for a preserved narrow-gauge locomotive like Klondike Kate #4), the 1880 depot, and the hotel remain. The South Park Rail Society and partners, including the Denver, South Park & Pacific Historical Society, work to preserve and interpret the site as an interactive railroad museum and heritage complex.

The Boreas Pass route is now a scenic road, and echoes of the “South Park Line” live on in local history and occasional excursions. Como stands as a testament to the engineering ambition, immigrant labor, and economic forces that shaped Colorado’s mountain communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Visitors to Como can explore the preserved railroad complex, stroll historic streets, and reflect on how a once-thriving rail hub helped tame the Rockies for industry and settlement. Its importance to the DSP&P cannot be overstated—it was the operational backbone that made the railroad’s ambitious reach into Colorado’s mining heartland possible.

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