Hi All! We've all seen them but where did they come from? I'm talking about those "Concrete Shanties," Telephone Booths," or "Switch Tender Shacks." Most were very small, some had stoves. In the photo, on the left, is the one at the Lehigh Depot in Williamsville, NY. The other came off the Southern RR. and is in Bristol TN. There is also one in Honeoye Falls, NY.

Question is: does anyone know: Who made them? Where were they made? and When? Any leads would be greatly appreiciated!

I'm thinking a company named Permacrete could have made them. The Erie used the phoneboxes quite extensively and also used concrete battery boxes that were made by Permacrete. I believe their factory was located along the C&O a mile westbound out of Parsons Yard. I remember seeing their name painted on the wall of an abandoned concrete plant at that location.

There seem to be more of these still in existence than one would think. I remember seeing one dumped on the side of the track just east of Port Jervis. This was about 10 years ago. I'm sure it's still there, because who is actually going to move it? Not sure of the condition, though. I wasn't able to investigate as it was seen through the window of a NJ Transit/Metro North coach.

Are there any of these that are still in service?

Hi Steam! Thank You for your lead on Permacrete. Its the first one I received since I started this quest. So far I've found numerous references to their patching products but no product photo's. An entire Permacrete Plant in Greenville, OH went to auction last year in December. Listed in the auction were numerous railroad molds for an assortment of items. I'll let you know how far I get.

Any other ideas out there? Thank You for your help!