Como Roundhouse Question

Hi Russ,

I can't answer your question about the pits. It must have been "fun" working on inside valve gear on narrow gauge locomotives. Not much room in there.

Paul

I know what you mean. But I think the date of the Como build would have pre-dated any of the bigger engines. My guess would be that they just had simple pits between the rails. Russ

Good Morning Russ,
One of our forum members is modeling the C&S in S scale and has posted some progress pics in the past. He has a model of the Como round house on his layout and may be able to help you. He goes by Prancing Pony Sales and resides in Eastern Oklahoma.
Al

quote:

It must have been "fun" working on inside valve gear on narrow gauge locomotives. Not much room in there.

Makes me think of the plumbing under the kitchen sink.
Al

In addition to o scale I also model in live steam 1 1/2 inch scale. This past summer one of the members brought a steamer that was actually a 3 cylinder loco with the third cylinder mounted inside the frame between the drivers. Now how the heck would one work on that! Russ

Good morning Russ,
I found a phone number for Prancing Pony Sales in Wister, Oklahoma. My failing memory does not let me recall the name of the owner at this moment, but the phone number is 1-918-655-3374.
I hope this will help you out and that I can get to Wister and see his layout.
Prancing Pony is an antique store, where has room for and Sn3 layout and his wife is building a HO layout.
Al

The owner of Prancing Pony Sales is Tim Schreiner; I received an email from Tim in September stating he is now longer in the model train business (I don't know about his antique store). This has been (is) a very difficult time for small businesses. I don't know the status of his layout. The photos of it looked impressive. I'm sorry to see him leave the business and I wished him well in whatever endeavor he was going to pursue.

Paul

I received a great interior shot from another forum. The sender is actually part of the Como restoration group and had the pix. Cool!

So the answer is, the pit only went as far as the rails and not beyond (in the specific case of the Como Roundhouse).

Thanks for all of your suggestions I'm glad I got an answer. This is part of the current 20x40 ON30 layout project. We are not doing an exact Como Roundhouse but I was curious to find the answer. The layout is 1940 Chama to Antonito with a little artistic license of Colorado thrown in for fun. Russ

The owner of Prancing Pony Sales is Tim Schreiner; I received an email from Tim in September stating he is now longer in the model train business

Man, that is the pits. Tim is a nice guy and here is hoping he will have some good fortune soon.
Al

I'm still kickin, and modeling C&S in On3. Been away for quite awhile. Now I'm living in Arizona again. The question regarding the pits; the rails were supported by timbers running the length of the rail, and the pits were in between the rails. The pits were quite shallow as well only about 30 inches deep. I actually helped clean out one of the pits many years ago, the pits are actually stone lined as well. 

 

 

Some day we will build the kit!  Right now the stand-in is working for us.  We need to get more of the railroad running, some scenery, some rail car tuning, some . . . . Well you know the drill!    I really like the Como structure, can't wait until we start on the build.  Russ

I asked some questions on here about a Como roundhouse kit some time ago, or maybe it was of the kit seller, since I like stone structures and Colo. NG, but would have had to make major modifications to the kit, for larger standard gauge  locomotives. I was told that enginehouse only accepted fairly small locomotives.  I only viewed and photographed the prototype from the road, which was across a large, open field, as I remember, so did not see the interior.  (wasn't sure if I'd be trespassing) I hope to build a larger stone engine house, probably not a roundhouse, due to space.  I have built a freelance model of the dual stone water towers south

of there that stood at Gunnison.  One D,SP,&P "expert" swore they never existed, but

the photos do.

Como was designed and built long before the 'K's came into narrow gauge country.  So yes the door ways are very slender for the big stuff.  This would be especially true if you were trying to use it for standard gauge locos.  Russ

Here are 3 so-so photos I took of the Como Roundhouse in 2006. Also a water tank and the high point between Breckenridge and Como:

Glad to see the Como still holding interest.

Al

The roundhouse photos above look like about what I got, except that mine were shot with a telephoto lense, but at dusk, so photos not that great.  That roundhouse IS

on private property now, isn't it?  To build and offer a kit I think you'd have to get into it and around it, with a tape. (not to mention restoring it)  Temptation sure was there.

Here's a couple more shots to add to the library!  Interior shots of the wooden smoke jacks used to direct the engine smoke out of the roundhouse.  Also one of the artisan notched beams.  It is my uindersanding that the roundhouse was built by Italian immigrant craftsman living in the area.  Russ