Category: Facilities

Photos of Medicine Bow #32 Radio Beacon, Wyoming, 2006
Photos submitted by Steve Wolff, Wyoming

Mr. Wolff is looking for assistance in restoring this site to it’s original condition.

Medicine Bow building looking northeast.  Typical of government built beacon sites, this building is 14×22 feet with a 51 foot airway tower.  About 2/3 the way up the tower you can see the catwalk that leads out to the windsock.  Between the building and the tower extends the sidewalk terminating in an arrow pointing towards the next beacon site, in this case, pointing to Rock River beacon.  The whole affair was lighted from overhead so it could be seen at night.

Construction started in 1929 and was completed in 1930.  According to the Aircraft Year Book, this site was the last station constructed to complete the entire NYC-SFO Low Frequency Range system.  The building in this photo is very solid. It’s two rooms, one for living quarters and the other, a much smaller room, contained the radio gear and later in history, teletype.  It was heated with a coal stove and electric power was supplied locally to operate the electrical equipment.  In case of power failure a 550 gallon fuel tank (missing) supplied fuel to run a generator. The fuel tank was normally located between the caretakers quarters (above building) and the beacon tower.

Historical note:  The Union Pacific Railroad is very close and Highway 30, the first to connect the Midwest with the West is 1 1/2 miles away.  The Overland Trail from the 1800’s is very close and of course this Low Frequency Airway.  They all converge at this point! Mr. Wolff is looking for assistance in restoring this site to it’s original condition.

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The Department of Commerce demanded these sites be kept in pristine condition including mowing lawns. Flight check pilots were always complaining about weeds up against buildings.

Interesting Side Note: The 1935 mystery novel, Obelists Fly High by C. Daly King, features a detailed description of a transcontinental flight in a Boeing 247, with much of the plot action occurring during an emergency bad weather stop at Medicine Bow field.

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Interior photo. Open cabinet door leads to the junction box located on the north wall. Cabinets would hold fuses, signal flares, and other items.

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Interior photo. North wall cabinet contains a Westinghouse switch box and circuits.

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Interior photo

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This bullet-riddled boundary cone is located on the west end of the beacon site, inside the fenced boundary

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This boundary cone is located on the north end of the beacon site. The red and white tank in the background is the water supply for the city of Medicine Bow.

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Boundary cone looking south east. The cone and stanchions are in place with wood markers albeit warped and faded.

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This boundary cone is located in the south east corner of the site and still houses its original 34 watt light bulb

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Obstruction pole on the approach end of the runway. Photo is looking north east.

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This boundary cone is located in the south east corner of the site. A U.S. concrete property marker can be seen laying on the ground along with the triangular stanchion for supporting 1×16 red and white wood runway markers.

Photos and information submitted by Steve Wolff, Laramie, WY

Knobbs Radio Airway Beacon #26A, Wyoming, May 15, 2006

This is the radio airway beacon powerhouse building from site #26.  You can just make out the 26A painted on the roof.  The roof measures 10′ x 14′ and contains two windows and one door.  On top of the roof is a IONA ventilator. Researcher Steve Wolff, located this building sitting in a junkyard.

Photos and historical data submitted by Steve Wolff

Laramie FSS Radio Beacon (LAR), Wyoming

Laramie FSS was commissioned 1927 and decommissioned on September 29, 1991. This building is the former FSS station at Laramie — now  a terminal.

The rectangle white sign is a 90 year old airway beacon (as of 2007).  These were manufactured by American Gas Accumulator Co., Elizabeth, NJ, USA, and were powered by acetylene gas allowing beacons to operate for up to 6 months unattended.  This beacon is missing the six foot pylon that attaches to the top of the unit in the photo.  On top of the pylon would be the prismatic lens that flashed 150 times per minute and could be seen about 10 miles distant. Usually these were placed every three miles between the 50 foot towers. This short one was used in the plains where there were no obstructions.  Bigger ones on 21′ – 51′ & 84′ towers were also used.  This particular beacon is owned by a private party.

There were a string of these beacons from New York City to San Francisco in the early ’20’s before any navigational aids appeared on the scene.  They also had a sun switch that turned the beacon on/off with darkness/sunlight.  Hi tech!!  Very rare find.  It appears the globe is missing.

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