Bakersfield (Southern Pacific station)

Bakersfield
Location	700 Sumner Street
Coordinates	35°22′37″N 118°59′31″W / 35.37694°N 118.99194°W / 35.37694; -118.99194Coordinates: 35°22′37″N 118°59′31″W / 35.37694°N 118.99194°W / 35.37694; -118.99194
Owned by	Union Pacific
Line(s)	none
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
History
Opened	June 27, 1889 (1889-06-27)
Closed	1971 (1971)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Los Angeles Terminus Coast Starlight detour route Oakland toward Seattle
Location
Location within Bakersfield

The Bakersfield Southern Pacific Station in Bakersfield, California, was the train station used by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The station opened in June 27, 1889, in the town of Sumner (which was later annexed by Bakersfield). The station was a mixture of: Richardsonian Romanesque, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Moderne styles. It was closed in 1971, after the formation of Amtrak.

The station served Southern Pacific passenger trains that ran on the San Joaquin Valley Route. They included: San Joaquin Daylight, Sacramento Daylight, Owl, and West Coast. It is currently used as an office building and crew change center by Union Pacific. On extremely rare occasions, it is used as a stop for the Coast Starlight when Union Pacific's Coast Line is closed.

In 1874, construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad line had reached the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Bakersfield was the logical stop for the railroad, but a land dispute had developed between the town and Southern Pacific. It resulted in the railroad building its tracks about 2 miles east of the town. The town of Sumner was laid out by the railroad. It also constructed a small depot. In 1888 the Bakersfield and Sumner Railroad (which later became the Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway) was constructed to the station. It provided a connection between the station and the Courthouse in Bakersfield.