The last roll of Kodachrome

I shot my last roll of Kodachrome

"Kodachrome, it gives us those nice bright colors.
It gives us the greens of summers.
It makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yea!
I got a Nikon camera.
I love to take the photographs.
So momma don't take my Kodachrome away."

~Kodachrome by Paul Simon

Bealville, Kodachrome and Nikons
Wednesday, October 5, 2005; I drove to south from San Jose to the Tehachapi mountains east of Bakersfield. I arrived in Bealville, California to find a train in the siding there. He (the train) was waiting for another train to pass in the opposite direction. So, I went to the top of the little hill there and photographed the train that came the other way. I know the routine here very well. I have been coming to Bealville for about 38 years taking pictures of trains. I have come here with my father, both my wives, my children and friends at different times through the years. I have seen trains and people pass through my life here. Soon, it will be my grandchildren whom I will be taking here.

Over the years I have shot many thousands of rolls of Kodachrome slide film here and at many other railroad places. Wednesday I shot my last roll of Kodachrome I will probably ever shoot. I have had a stash of Kodachrome 25 (K25) slide film for 35mm cameras I had been hoarding. But, Kodak's 35mm Kodachrome processing (K14) has gotten so slow (about 3 weeks) it became evident I had better use this film or kiss it off! The death of Kodachrome is obviously imminent. (For example: I had a stash of Kodachrome 64 for 120 cameras I sat on too long and Kodak stopped the K14 processing for 120 and that wonderful film is thus now unusable!) So, I started using my 35mm K25! After I got my D2H digital Nikon I started to use the Nikon digital more and the Nikon film cameras less. So, I had to work at using up that Kodachrome (without wasting it.) But, I saved one roll of Kodachrome for the Tehachapis and Bealville. So, this week I went to Bealville, fired up a film Nikon again, finished that roll of Kodachrome film and switched to my digital camera. Then, I kept shooting with the digital Nikon (see above).

There is a tree on top of the little hill at Bealville that overlooks the tracks. That would be a good place to leave my ashes after I die. It has a great view of the tracks and the passing trains. There, under that tree, is also the place I finished my last roll of Kodachrome.

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