Tom Lawson, Central City.   Historic narrow gage railroad Colorado & Southern Railroad Gondola # 4319, built in the railroads shops in early 1900’s for freight service hauling coal and aggregates, later used in hauling tourists and eventually moved and has been sitting out in the weather in Russell Park in Central City has been saved and moved by preservation groups to a mountain narrow gage historic railroad interpretive center.

The South Park Rail Society in partnership with the Denver, South Park and Pacific Historical Society presented an offer in early June to the Central City Council to lease the gondola for 10 years and have moved it to the historic mountain railroad junction town of Como Colorado where it will join other preserved historic freight cars for restoration.

Tom Bain, Vice President, Jason Midyette Secretary of the South Park Rail Society and Robert Schoppe, President, Tom Lawson, Procurement ( Nederland resident) of the Denver, South Park and Pacific Historical Society presented the opportunity to the Central City Council and coordinated the move.

In appreciation of this generous gesture of this opportunity of preservation to the residents of Central City are cordially invited to attend Boreas Pass Railroad Day in Como, ten miles east of Fairplay on US 285 Saturday August 18. In this unique former railroad town of Como are preserved restored railroad depot, a stone engine roundhouse with operating turntable, an operating steam engine on restored track, freight cars, restored school, Church and residences.

(Originally published in the June 28, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)