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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