Nostalgia & History > Then & Now: HQ in Argentine

4515 Kansas Avenue, Argentine, Kansas! This was the beating heart of Santa Fe's whole being in the Kansas City area. It is now BNSF HQ for Argentine and a large chunk of mid-western territory that was once graced with Santa Fe presence.

For 2 weeks in October of 1978 I held seniority as a switchman in Argentine Yard, before getting re-called to my original seniority position working the brakeman's extra board out of Emporia, KS (on the Middle Division, based in Newton, KS). As you might guess, I did a lot photography in those 2 weeks. As a railfan I wouldn't have minded staying in Kansas City, but my heart was in the Middle Division; especially running the mainline through the Kansas Flint Hills. On October 2, 1978 I shot scene #1 as an afterthought while chasing around KC with my tripod. Since the 1996 merger I've always had scene #2 in the back of my mind. I finally got around to shooting the updated scene on the way back from a foray into northern Missouri.

4515 Kansas Avenue "then & now", with 34 years in between...

1. The heart of Santa Fe's Argentine operations. Scene photographed on October 2, 1978.

2. The same building is now BNSF's center of operations for Argentine, and a whole lot more! Scene photographed November 24, 2012.

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/22 20:09 by santafe199.

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