Como Stationary Boiler

[Mike Trent]

As usual, a lot of interesting information and photographs. Thanks to all.

Also, as usual, I really haven't studied every post in detail. I don't have much that I can offer as a contribution for this thread from what I learned from old Doug Schnarbush, who worked up there between 1927 and abandonment. After abandonment, he worked for a time for the Cooley Brothers until he moved his family to Denver.

But I do have a couple of things. I asked Doug on two or three occasions about what he remembered of the interior of the roundhouse in railroad days, particularly with regard to the boiler house and stall #1. He said that along the side wall in Stall #1 toward the turntable end, there was a small partitioned office which was used by the foreman. Toward the boilerhouse there was also a tool crib which consisted of a wire cage with a lockable door. He said they were real careful about keeping tools and oil and other supplies locked up. The pit had been filled in and there were no rails in stall #1 at that time.

He seemed sure that there was a door between the boiler house and the back of stall #1. I had the impression that it was probably a double wide door similar to the door in the wall behind the boiler, and that it was probably modified from the window location closest to the corner of the roundhouse walls.

Doug said that the boilerhouse was removed along with the stone in the wall as it now appears for use as a door for the purpose of moving trucks and equipment in and out of the building. If any of this is repetitive, my apologies.

       

[Jeff Ramsey]

Robert McFarland wrote

Where did the stationary boiler used in the Como Roundhouse toward the end of operations come from?What about its predecessors?

Former C&S 4-6-0 locomotive 317. When the South Park Line was scraped, the C&S took this boiler with them. What is at the boiler house site today is return flue boiler (Hendrie & Boltoff ?) # 11717 from the Paris Mill near Alma, Colorado.



11717 at the Paris Mill in the 1920s.


One boiler in this image of the boiler house is known to be a Mason boiler, What was the other?
Look at the size of the "hooter" on top of the roof of this semi-unpublished circa 1900 image!

[Jeff Ramsey]

Mike Trent wrote

As usual, a lot of interesting information and photographs. Thanks to all.

Also, as usual, I really haven't studied every post in detail. I don't have much that I can offer as a contribution for this thread from what I learned from old Doug Schnarbush, who worked up there between 1927 and abandonment. After abandonment, he worked for a time for the Cooley Brothers until he moved his family to Denver.

But I do have a couple of things. I asked Doug on two or three occasions about what he remembered of the interior of the roundhouse in railroad days, particularly with regard to the boiler house and stall #1. He said that along the side wall in Stall #1 toward the turntable end, there was a small partitioned office which was used by the foreman. Toward the boilerhouse there was also a tool crib which consisted of a wire cage with a lockable door. He said they were real careful about keeping tools and oil and other supplies locked up. The pit had been filled in and there were no rails in stall #1 at that time.

He seemed sure that there was a door between the boiler house and the back of stall #1. I had the impression that it was probably a double wide door similar to the door in the wall behind the boiler, and that it was probably modified from the window location closest to the corner of the roundhouse walls.

Doug said that the boilerhouse was removed along with the stone in the wall as it now appears for use as a door for the purpose of moving trucks and equipment in and out of the building. If any of this is repetitive, my apologies.

Good to know Mike. I wonder if Doug knew where the shower was?

[Mike Trent]

Hi, Jeff, using one of Doug's common replies, that answer would be, "Most likely."

This is actually the first I've heard of it. I had asked him for his recollections, but he never mentioned a shower. He lived very close to the roundhouse and wouldn't have used it, but he probably knew of it.

[ComoDepot]

I think the Shower was an Andy Anderson comment, may only refer to a short time. Similar to electricity.

Apart from the Shower the only other option I would imagine would be a tin bath in front of the stove.