Steam comes to Como! August 19th, 2017

Steam on the Como turntable!

Steam in Como!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the first time since 1938, a steam locomotive has been fired up!  Can you believe this is actually here????!!!!!

Photos from this post on the Como Depot Facebook Page

Como turntable installed!

The Como roundhouse turntable was installed on August 11th and is operational!

Photo by Jason Smith from this The South Park Rail Society Facebook post

Lit up! No. 60 shines a light

More fun news!  This time from Idaho Springs.  C&S 60's headlight was powered and class lamps were restored and reinstalled on August 4th.  Ron Kaiser is to thank for the restoration of the class lamps.  A curious correspondence occurred under the Facebook post where someone stated, "If only she could run..." to which someone responded, "Making her run is being discussed."

Photo and info from this C&S Railway Society Facebook post

Como gets a gondola for its future passengers

Como got one of the old gondolas from the Georgetown Loop on August 3.  The Loop operation had labeled it for the Georgetown, Breckenridge, and Leadville.  I recall riding in this gondola or another like it on one of my trips on the Loop over 15 or so years ago.  I don't know its origin.  My guess is that it was a D&RGW car, as the Loop had lots of Rio Grande equipment.  I don't know if this came directly from the Georgetown Loop or if it was moved off the property in 2005 when management changed.  If I recall, much of the equipment owned by the Ashbys went to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.

Photo is from the South Park Rail Society's Facebook page

No. 4 is painted and soon to be delivered!

Number 4 has a new cab and it just got painted.  The South Park Rail Society state in the post "Currently we are planning on delivery [to Como] early next week."

Photo taken by Mike Pannell, posted on South Park Rail's Facebook page

Ring rail spiked in Como turntable pit!

On August 10th, 2017 the ring rail was spiked in the Como turntable pit.  Can you believe it???

Photo from Como Depot Facebook page

Ride the rails in Como!

See what it's like to ride the rails in Como for the first time since 1938!  This clips gives a walking track view of the line from the roundhouse to the depot and then from the depot to the mainline towards Alpine Tunnel and Gunnison.

And, can you believe it? Steam is on the way in just a week or so!

The C&S in Trains Mag Again?!

The number of times the C&S narrow gauge has shown up in Trains magazine this year has to be a
record.  It made an appearance again this year in the September 2017 edition.

Not even relegated to the "Preservation News" section in the back of the magazine, the Como roundhouse renovation made it to page 10!

With a nice widescreen shot of the roundhouse and turntable pit, the news brief reads, "COMING ALONG: Work resumes on restoration of the former Denver, South Park & Pacific roundhouse in Como, Colorado.  It is expected to become the centerpiece of a museum dedicated to the narrow gauge railroad."

Photo from comoroundhouse.com