Water Tower
Tehachapi, CA
Photo courtesy John King

This old Tehachapi Water Tower stands along Tehachapi Boulevard in the middle of downtown. The 65,000-gallon tank once supplied water to steam locomotives climbing through the mountain pass.

The original tower was destroyed in the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake. Southern Pacific replaced it with a similar older tank moved from the railroad stop at Lang.

UPDATE: The retired tower now serves as the centerpiece of Railroad Park. It was cleaned and repainted in 2024, and its restored “Historic Downtown Tehachapi” signs were returned to the tank. 09-26