Despite refurbishing the DC-3 fleet in 1954, North Central was well aware by mid-decade that adding additional ‘Threes’, regardless of the price, would be insufficient to cover growing demand for both passenger seats as well as cargo lift across the network. This was a function of aircraft capacity, speed of flight, and turnaround time at the stations.
New-generation turboprops such as Fokker’s F-27 were interesting but expensive, and given North Central’s tight finances, too far of a leap to take. However, in 1958, Continental was ready to sell five used Convair 340 frames at a very reasonable price – and even after North Central installed weather radar and made other upgrades, they still came in at a half-million dollar savings per ship.
The Convair-Liners were an instant hit with the public as well as North Central’s management and staff; the pressurized cabin with generously-sized seating was far more comfortable than the DC-3, cargo capacity was even better than new F-27s could lift, self-contained stairs made boarding simple, and its frame and engines were reliable and easy to maintain.
North Central eventually acquired 23 of the model 340 and 12 of the model 440 by 1966. Their faster speed and greater capacity enabled passenger counts to grow by about half and cargo tonnage to *triple* within just five years of introduction! While the 340 and 440 models had the same cabin and 105-foot wingspan, the 440 nose was longer to accommodate new weather radar and its engine exhaust port on the nacelles was rectangular to house silencer baffling. This plus other interior refinements improved passenger comfort, and the 440 also enjoyed higher weight capacity. Both 340 and 440 models were eventually converted into the legendary Model 580 turboprop in the late 1960s which served on into the 1990s!
If you use these photos, please credit the Northwest Airlines History Center – please also contact us to let us know how you’re using them and if we can be of further help!
Freshly-delivered N90857 takes on passengers on a slushy Minneapolis tarmac in January 1959. Photo from the Carr Family collection.Close-up look at the boarding stairs and front gear of N90852 at Milwaukee, March 1959, in this shot by the Milwaukee Journal. Photo from the Carr Family collection.N90852 visits Milwaukee again in this shot from April 15, 1959. Photo from the Carr Family collection.N90852 parked near the Milwaukee terminal between flights, April 15, 1959. Photo from the Carr Family collection.Air-to-air shot of N90857 (ship # 82) with a date of February 1960. Note the very thin cheatlines! Photo from the Carr Family collection.Model 440; airline-issued postcard.Series 440 N2045 arriving at Minneapolis in Spring 1963. Note the ground equipment already painted in aqua. Photographer unknown; from the Scott Norris collection.N90852 front and center in this photo from the 1963 annual report – hangar referenced is located near the current MSP tower.A pair of 340s and a DC-3 at O’Hare in June 1963. Jon Proctor photo, used with permission.Fall 1963 photo by the Chicago American (used in the Dec. 1963 Northliner) of North Central Convairs at Chicago O’Hare, with N90858 (fleet # 83) in the foreground. American Electra II landing in the background. Photo from the Carr Family collection.Model 340, N90854 in an attractive night servicing scene. Year and photographer unknown.
Lineup of Convairs at Chicago O’Hare in July 1964 includes Model 440s N2041 (ship 441), N2044 (ship 430), Model 340s N90858 (ship 305) and N9067R (ship 306), plus one more at back where the resolution is too faint to read. Taken by Metro News Photos of Chicago, and used on the cover of Flight Magazine’s 15th Annual Local Air Service issue. Photo from the Carr Family collection.
A color version of the same composition (different people on the ramp) was printed in the 1965 annual report.
And for a perspective just one more gate position to the left on American’s concourse at O’Hare, here is an April 1966 scene with four Convair and one DC-3. N4084C is in the foreground. Jon Proctor photograph, used with his permission.September 1966 shot from the same position looking over under-construction Chicago O’Hare concourses (gate rooms being added) with a lineup of North Central Convairs, fronted by 340 N4811C (fleet # 310). Produced by Metro News Photos. Photo from the Carr Family collection.Model 440 N90854 between flights at Midway. Date and photographer unknown.
