The Flickr Argosy Image Generatr

Freightliner Argosy

Bob Tail

Bob Tail

ALTON
Located in the bend of the Mississippi River, Alton is one of the interesting cities in downstate Illinois. It is intersected by multiple themes of historic interest: Native Americans, Lewis & Clark, the slavery debate, the Underground Railroad, freedom of the press, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, African American equality, and the industrial management of the great river itself. These aspects of American history are manifested at so many visitable sites that Alton can function as a stand-alone attraction. Alton is larger (population 25,000) than any other town studied by our project – a small city with a complement of tourism infrastructure (hotels, restaurants). Not to mention – beyond our project’s concern – that Alton is very pretty – often called San Francisco on the Mississippi – with three neighborhoods inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as nearby Elsah, the entire village being NRHP-designated and crowned by beautiful Principia College, itself a National Historic Landmark with its Maybeck architecture.

Alton benefits from being the headquarters of the major downstate tourism bureau, Great Rivers & Routes. Our contribution has been to balance that agency’s emphasis on recreational and events tourism with our focus on Alton’s underdeveloped (under-promoted, inadequately known) cultural/historic/heritage tourism. Alton is a truly worthy destination that can easily occupy the visitor for a full three days. A walk through Alton is a journey through some of America’s most important history.

Freightliner Argosy

TSA - 0001
Location: Pier 55, Seattle, WA

Saving history, one 35 mm slide at a time...

Van

Kyabram 2025

Armstrong-Withworth AW.650 Argosy (c/n 6651/101)
Yankee Air Force Museum
Detroit-Willow Run (YIP/KYIP)
05 September 1998

In late 1991, N896U was released from Alaska BLM duties, and donated to the Detroit-based Yankee Air Force Museum, located at Willow Run airport. It became an exhibit along notable aircraft like the B-52 or a PB4Y Privateer.

Parked in the open and still in Universal Airlines livery, N896U was seen at the Yankee museum, complete and in a fairly good overall condition.

By the late 2000s, however, the aircraft - still parked in the open - had deteriorated, and with maintenance costs becoming prohibitive, the museum had the Argosy removed and scrapped during 2013. Also the Privateer vanished somehow over these times. The Yankee Museum is now the Michigan Flight Museum, and only the B-52 seens to have survived, along with a Constellation and some smaller exhibits hosted in a hangar.

Armstrong-Whitworth AW.650 Argosy (c/n 6651/101)
Management Jets International
Anchorage-International (ANC/PANC)
23 June 1986

Built for BEA in 1957 as the first of a total of 74 Argosies constructed, this unique, twin boom four-engined transport aircraft was acquired by Universal Airlines in 1968 as N896U.

In 1973 it was acquired by Management Jets International, who operated it as N886U for the Alaska Bureau of Land Management. As such it was seen parked at Anchorage, still in Universal colours.

The Alaska BLM used the Argosy until late 1991, when it was donated to the Yankee Air Force Museum for display.

Tautliner

Freightliner Atgosy

In Need of TLC
Former RAF Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.1, slowly decaying in Sioux City.

Midland Air Museum, Coventry, UK - 8 November 1987

Named 'Edna'
The Argosy was the last type to be built at Coventry-Baginton by Armstrong Whitworth before the factory closed, so is a particularly significant aircraft to be preserved at the Midland Air Museum. G-APRL was delivered back to Coventry on 20 Feb 87, this being the last flight of an Argosy in the UK. I'm not sure why the engines were removed; possibly it made it easier to transport the aircraft over grass to the museum site. They were later reinstalled.
G-APRL's final operator was Air Bridge Carriers, but in its later years it was flown almost exclusively under contract to Elan International, one of a number of overnight parcel delivery services that became very popular in the UK in the mid 1980s.