I just posted this on my Facebook page, if you’d like to follow this. For awhile, at Facebook, I’ll be posting approximately one photo per day which I pull out of the archive here.

What are these “Cargo’s Last Stand” photos, the Red Wall, etc.?

These photos document the last days of Northwest Airlines Cargo in Anchorage, Alaska.

I coined the term “Cargo’s Last Stand” from Custer’s Last Stand — using this phrase to title my NWA-Cargo-photos category at my personal blog, http://JeffFenske.wordpress.com. There I have listed hundreds of photos which document the end of NWA’s 747 freighter trans-load operation in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Red Wall was in the Anchorage pilots’ freighter base, which many of us signed and said ‘goodbye’ in front of.

At JeffFenske.wordpress.com, I’m still adding photos from Delta cargo, so I’ve recently changed the category name to “NWA > Delta Cargo.” Delta still has a cargo operation, which handles the cargo flown on their passenger planes.

One of my Facebook friends, a former NWA cargo employee suggested that I do a best-of series. So that’s what I’m starting now.

Though only one thumbnail photo will appear in my Facebook link, some will have more than one photo if you click on the link, which is thus far the case.

And as I said earlier, please feel free to download these photos for your personal use, to post or whatever, as long as they aren’t used for commercial purposes. They are all copyrighted Jeff Fenske.

Here is a brief overview of Cargo’s Last Stand from Wikipedia:

Northwest Airlines, Inc. (often abbreviated NWA) was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world. Northwest continued to operate under its own name and brand until the integration of the carriers was completed on January 31, 2010. …

NWA Cargo

As of 2006, Northwest Airlines Cargo was the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. NWA Cargo’s fleet of dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft flew from some key cities in the United States and East Asia, as well as Amsterdam, connecting with THE CARRIER’S CARGO HUB IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport), FACILITATING THE QUICK TRANSFER OF CARGO BETWEEN LARGE CITIES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PACIFIC. NWA Cargo also transports freight aboard the passenger fleet of Northwest Airlines to more than 250 cities worldwide. Delta announced that the NWA Cargo hub will be shut down by the end of 2009. … NWA Cargo ended all operations on December 28, 2009.

Here’s to the end of an interesting era that provided many photo opportunities.

Thanks, everyone!

– Jeff