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Early 1913, when radio was still in it's infancy, it was unknown if radio transmissions could be sent to a fast moving object. Guglielmo Marconi wished to expand the use of the radio to include vehicles that moved on land as well as water and test the possibility of transmitting telegraphic signals to moving trains along the Lackawanna Railroad system in the Northeast United States. Two cities- Binghamton, NY and Scranton, PA were chosen as the two tower sites to be built by the Lackawanna Railroad using Marconi’s construction and design in early 1913.Each tower site consisted of two towers linked together with 4 aerial wires. Radio telegraph equipment was placed within the railroad stations and comprised of a 2 KW 500 cycle quenching transmitter made by the Marconi Company.

On November 27th 1913, the first "official" wireless transmission was transmitted from Scranton, PA towards the train traveling to Binghamton, NY at 60 miles per hour. In all, 350 words representing several pieces of news were clearly picked up by the operator aboard the train.

The last remaining Marconi Tower is located in downtown Binghamton, New York at Lewis Street near the old Lackawanna Train Station (recently renamed Station Square). A beautiful new baseball stadium (Binghamton Mets) now sits proudly next to the tower, from the first base line the tower can be clearly seen. Constructed of open grid framed carbon steel and standing at 97 feet 4 inches tall, the tower has endured the weather year by year and is in somewhat remarkable condition considering the neglect and age. Presently there is no communication equipment installed on or near the tower. The second Binghamton Marconi tower, that was located near the Chenango Street viaduct, was dismantled in January 1925. The other two towers at the Scranton, PA tower site have long been taken down.

Marconi Transmitting / Receiving Technical Information

Radio / Telegraph equipment was placed within the railroad stations and comprised of a 2 KW 500 cycle quenching transmitter made by the Marconi Company with coupled circuit receiving tuner and crystal detector. 

 Power for the sending outfit was taken at 60 cycles, 3 phase from the station driving a Crocker-Wheeler motor generator giving 2 KW, single phase, 500 cycle current. Passing through the sending key circuit to a step-up transformer, the 500 cycle current charged a bank of six (6) leyden jars (.002uf each) in parallel. These jars discharged at each half cycle across a multiple plate quenching spark gap and through the primary of the oscillation transformer. The secondary was serially connected in the antenna to ground circuit. This oscillation transformer was made of two (2) flat spiral strip-copper windings coaxial related, having a variable self-inductance in both windings and variable coupling between the primary and secondary.

The motor of the motor-generator was wound for 30 volts DC and the 500 cycle current, after passing through the high tension transformer, charged a bank of three .002uf leyden jars in parallel. These jars were discharged at each half cycle.

The power boards located on the train were similar to the power board installed at the train stations, but rated at 1/2 the power. It was necessary to have an aerial 150 feet long, so four regular cars of the "Lackawanna Limited" had aerial wires strung on insulators, on posts about 16" high, around the roofs of each car.

A wave length of about 1,600 meters (187.4 kilocycles) was generally used with approximately a 2 ampere of radio frequency current set up in the antenna circuit. This is approximately 342.5 KC below the present low end AM kilocycle band of 540 KC.

The Radio - Telegraph equipment installed on board the train was located in the baggage car and comprised of a 1 KW 500 cycle transmitter directly run from a storage battery used on the line of the axle-driven car lighting system without seriously affecting the illuminating system.

compiled by Scott M. Phillips, Sr. Binghamton, NY 10/1/98

Scott's Radio & Television Company- High Tech Electronics Service Center

For Your Listening Pleasure- Vintage Radio & Phonograph sales/restoration

Installed October 9th, 1998 at Station Square-Lewis St., Binghamton, NY

Scott's Radio & Television Co. 368 Clinton Street, Binghamton, NY 13905

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Last modified: December 07, 2009  

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