Back to top

Northern Pacific Railway Como Shops

Creator: 
  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print
Engraving of the Como Shops published in Northwest magazine (April 1886, page 12).

Engraving of the Como Shops published in Northwest magazine (April 1886, page 12).

St. Paul’s Como Shops served as a major passenger-car repair facility on the Northern Pacific railroad between 1885 and the 1970s, providing employment to many St. Paul residents. The durability of the shops’ construction guaranteed their longevity, and in 1985 the facility was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Northern Pacific Railway was once one of the major railroads in the state of Minnesota. One unique problem encountered by the company was the lack of adequate terminal space in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The railroad needed yard and terminal facilities to make up and break up trains in daily operations as well as space for servicing its fleet of railcars and locomotives. The company’s decision to construct shops was guided by financial necessity, and most towns welcomed the arrival of shops facilities for their positive economic impact.

The Northern Pacific acquired thirteen acres for development in 1880, but this proved less than sufficient. It thus purchased 220 additional acres on January 4, 1883. It subsequently purchased 400 acres for facilities in the Trout Brook Valley section near Lake Como in St. Paul at rates ranging from $500 to $4,000 per acre. Two hundred acres near Lake Como were designated for a shops facility—one in which workers would conduct major repairs on Northern Pacific passenger railcars for nearly 100 years.

The June 19, 1883 edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the local firm of R. E. Patterson would build the Como Shops. Construction started after grading work with the creation of a wood-working shop, machine shop, new-car shop, coach shop, engine house, boiler room, blacksmith shop, freight-car repair building, paint shop, water tower, and a host of accessory buildings to aid in operations. For a time, Como would house the most extensive shops in the system, costing in excess of $500,000.

The shops began operations in 1885. Designed to handle the construction, repair, and refurbishment of the Northern Pacific’s fleet of over 1,100 passenger cars, the facility was extremely large for its time. Construction of buildings continued in 1898, 1901, 1911, and later years as changing needs warranted expansion and redesign.

Buildings were constructed using Minnesota materials—namely, yellow brick from Little Falls. They were designed with efficiency in mind; much like the clerestory roofs used in older passenger cars themselves, the shops’ monitor roofs allowed in as much natural light as possible. This made the dark, cavernous shop buildings much lighter and therefore safer and less dependent upon artificial light sources.

The rear of the facility featured the woodworking shop, where car bodies were created. It was built in 1885 in a cross shape. To the south of this building was the paint shop, and to the east a shop for new cars. Next door was the blacksmith shop, noted for its large number of chimneys.

In addition to at least one water tower, the shops featured a large transfer table, capable of transporting railcars to different working areas in the shop buildings via movable railroad tracks on a flat table structure. The adjacent yard tracks were expanded in 1896. All the buildings mentioned here, including remnants of the transfer table, survived into the twenty-first century.

The Northern Pacific became part of a larger railroad system and discontinued passenger service after a gradual downsizing. Como Shops shrank in importance as this happened but continued to operate until 1982, when the architectural firm of Winsor/Faricy remodeled the facility. The former blacksmith shops came to be known as Bandana Square and served a new purpose for various commercial tenants, including Dino’s Gyros and the Dakota Jazz Club.

  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print
© Minnesota Historical Society
  • Bibliography
  • Related Resources

Gardner, Dennis. Minnesota Treasures: Stories Behind the State’s Historic Places. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2004.

Glischinski, Steve. Minnesota Railroads: A Photographic History, 1940–2012. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2012.

Kelly, John. Northern Pacific Photo Archive. Hudson, WI: Enthusiast Books, 2007.

Kuebler, William. The Vista-dome North Coast Limited: The Story of the Northern Pacific Railway's Famous Domeliner. Hamilton, MT: Oso Publishing, 2004.

Luecke, John. The Northern Pacific in Minnesota. St. Paul: Grenadier Publications, 2005.

Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007.

——— . Lost Twin Cities. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1992.

Nord, Mary Ann. The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota: A Guide. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003.

Prosser, Richard. Rails to the North Star. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

Renz, Louis. The History of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon Press, 1980.

[No title.] St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 19, 1883.

Related Images

Engraving of the Como Shops published in Northwest magazine (April 1886, page 12).
Engraving of the Como Shops published in Northwest magazine (April 1886, page 12).
Black and white photograph of the Como Shops, 1892. Photograph by Robert Murray Frame III.
Black and white photograph of the Como Shops, 1892. Photograph by Robert Murray Frame III.
Black and white photograph of employees at the Northern Pacific Como Shops, St. Paul, 1913. Photograph by Axel E. Carlson.
Black and white photograph of employees at the Northern Pacific Como Shops, St. Paul, 1913. Photograph by Axel E. Carlson.
Black and white photograph of women handling lath machines in Northern Pacific Railway's Como Shops, ca. 1920.
Black and white photograph of women handling lath machines in Northern Pacific Railway's Como Shops, ca. 1920.
Black and white photograph of Coach Department employees, Como Shops, Northern Pacific Railway, St. Paul, 1930. Photograph by R. E. Easthagen.
Black and white photograph of Coach Department employees, Como Shops, Northern Pacific Railway, St. Paul, 1930. Photograph by R. E. Easthagen.
Black and white photograph of the Como Shops complex of the Northern Pacific Railway, located just south of Como Park in the St. Paul Midway, 1948. A railroad crane is parked next to the powerhouse building.
Black and white photograph of the Como Shops complex of the Northern Pacific Railway, located just south of Como Park in the St. Paul Midway, 1948. A railroad crane is parked next to the powerhouse building.
Black and white photograph of a worker at the Northern Pacific Railway Company Como Shops, St. Paul, 1970. Photograph by Joe E. B. Elliott.
Black and white photograph of a worker at the Northern Pacific Railway Company Como Shops, St. Paul, 1970. Photograph by Joe E. B. Elliott.
Black and white photograph of the Bandana Square shopping complex, 1984. Photograph by Kay Shaw.
Black and white photograph of the Bandana Square shopping complex, 1984. Photograph by Kay Shaw.
Map of the Como Shops Heritage Preservation District produced by the City of St. Paul; annotated in May 2017.
Map of the Como Shops Heritage Preservation District produced by the City of St. Paul; annotated in May 2017.

Turning Point

During the 1950s, demand for passenger service on the Northern Pacific Railway decreases. Como Shops shrink in size and importance as a result.

Chronology

1880

The Northern Pacific acquires thirteen acres for new shops.

January 4, 1883

Six hundred acres are purchased at $500 to $4,000 per acre.

Winter 1884–early 1885

The Como Shops open as a passenger railcar facility for repairs, refurbishment, and new construction.

1896

The yard is expanded for increased storage capacity.

June 30, 1898

Construction begins on new car shops. A coal and iron storehouse and a pit are excavated to accommodate new tracks for a transfer table.

1901–1902

A second coach shop is created to complement the original, built in 1886. The transfer table is constructed between these two buildings.

1911

The size of Como Shops facility nearly doubles. A third coach shop is added.

1913

The original blacksmith building is replaced with a laboratory. A stores building is added.

1917–1920

Passenger service on the NP system peaks. Shop buildings are expanded, as are office and storehouse spaces.

1955

Marking the 150th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Como Shops refurbish six 1947 lounge cars with murals for use on luxury train the North Coast Limited.

1950s–1960s

The Como Shops contract in size and importance.

1970

Work continues on Amtrak cars. The shops are relegated to repair of a small fleet of business cars for railroad executives and caboose maintenance.

Late 1970s–1982

Railroad operations end. Several buildings are razed.

1985

The facility is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1995

Several remaining buildings are razed.