Bill Stokoe was a Signal Maintainer for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He was able to collect a wide variety of signals for his personal collection while he lived here in Tehachapi. He expressed his wish shortly before he died that the signal collection not be divided up and that it remain in Tehachapi. After his death, the Tehachapi City Council agreed to purchase the collection from his widow Betty and that made his wish come true. The total collection included not only signals but also lanterns, railroad china, locks and railroad miscellany. Finally after almost 10 years of waiting we have most of these items displayed in the Depot Museum.

Many discussions were held and many opinions offered over the years between the City, Friends of the Tehachapi Depot and others as to how to best display the signals. Some wanted them spread all along Tehachapi Boulevard through town. Some wanted a few in Railroad Park. Friends of the Tehachapi Depot held the position that they should all be located on the Depot grounds considering security, maintenance, operation and overall benefit to the public. Several plans were considered for placement of the signals on the grounds but in the end, the City said they needed to all be placed in the two cemented areas which they provided.

The City offered to us the use of half of an airplane hangar at the airport for a workshop. This has been very useful to us and we are very appreciative. In the summer of 2009 a group of volunteers started dismantling the signals which had been left undisturbed in Mr. Stokoe's backyard for 10 years, even though the house had been sold to another homeowner. We started to clean, lubricate, repaint, rewire and reassemble the signals. In the Spring of 2010 after the City had finished the landscaping and cement work on the grounds, we started moving the restored signals from the hangar onto the grounds. Several of the larger signals required either a crane or reassembly onsite. The new restroom building near the signals has a large spare room on the side and rear which will be used for storage, repair and maintenance of the signals. A small wooden shack was placed near the signals and the controls will be located there.

Most of the signals are now in place except for 2 or 3 'searchlight' signals which need to be mounted high on steel poles. When all of the signals are in place the wiring project will begin. All the signals were operative before being removed and the intent is to have them all operative again.