This roundhouse was built in 1881 by Italian stonemasons for the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railway as part of the facilities needed for their division point of Como, Colorado. The original six-stall roundhouse eventually had two wooden additions added, bringing the total to 19 stalls at the turn of the 20th century, but those wooden stalls burned in 1935. The last train departed Como in 1938—operated by Colorado & Southern. Rails were soon removed and the roundhouse served other purposes, including housing a sawmill in the 1950s.
By the 1970s, the empty building was deteriorating with a very uncertain future. The roundhouse property was bought by Bill Kazel in 1984 to save it from its inevitable deterioration and demise without any maintenance. Bill, and his son Greg, restored the building to its 1910 appearance and collected documentation on its history, along with acquiring a turntable. Passing the preservation torch, Bill sold the property to Dr. Chuck and Kathy Brantigan in 2001. The new owners have done additional masonry work and repainting. Even though Mr. Kazel sold the Como Roundhouse, this did not end his involvement with the historic building. Bill and his son have continued to do general maintenance on the structure over the last 15 years. One thing Bill wanted to have completed before he "retired" was the installation of an operational turntable. In 2016 the old turntable pit was excavated and the following year the concrete repaired and the turntable was made operational on August 19, 2017.
Today the roundhouse has been leased to the South Park Rail Society. One of the primary goals of the society is to return an operational steam locomotive to Como. This was accomplished with the acquisition of Klondike Mines Railway 2-6-2 No. 4, a 1912 Baldwin locomotive nicknamed “Klondike Kate” that has been running on special occasions in Como since August 2017. The locomotive is currently being overhauled and rebuilding more trackage around Como continues today.
