Tehachapi in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Southern Pacific Concrete Telephone Booth

Photographed by Denise Boose

1. Southern Pacific Concrete Telephone Booth Marker

Inscription.
This style of telephone booth was unique to Southern Pacific Railroad. Untold hundreds were manufactured at the West Oakland Maintenance of Way Shops. Inside each booth was a Western Electric model 1517 BU wood-encased telephone with a hand-cranked generator, push-to-talk button, and headset receiver. The last concrete booths were manufactured in 1955.

Erected by Tehachapi Railroad Depot Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.

Location. 35° 7.952′ N, 118° 26.885′ W. Marker is in Tehachapi, California, in Kern County. It is on Tehachapi Boulevard, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 W Tehachapi Blvd, Tehachapi CA 93561, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tehachapi Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Tehachapi Train Depot Bricks (within shouting distance of this marker); Tehachapi’s Founding Fathers (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of the Kessing Building (about 300 feet away); Cement Production in Tehachapi (about 400 feet away); Tehachapi Veterans Memorial

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(about 400 feet away); The Railroad and the Tehachapi Loop (about 400 feet away); Beekay Theatre (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tehachapi.

Photographed by Denise Boose

2. Southern Pacific Concrete Telephone Booth Marker

Photographed by Denise Boose, June 8, 2010

3. Southern Pacific Concrete Telephone Booth Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2023, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 335 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2023, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.