09/02/2026
Best of Warrick Wednesday: The legacy of Kodachrome Color Slide Film and its effect on photography.
Words and Photo by James Boyd. Edited by Dennis Guerriero
My first introduction to the writing and photography of Jim Boyd was an article on the Ann Arbor Railroad (AA) in the November 1973 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. I was a junior in high school, and my only real knowledge of the entire AA Railroad was watching the passing of their afternoon freight train FT-2 from Frankfort. At that time James A Boyd served as the Associate Editor of Railroad Model Craftsman (RMC) published by Carstens Publications.
As was my habit then, I drove from Clare High School to the nearby Clare Depot in order to look for trains. On my car radio while driving over was the hit song by Paul Simon called “Kodachrome”. The song made it to Number 2 in the Summer of ‘73. To this listener, it was a bittersweet song, but I liked it.
The song went like this:
“When I looked back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It’s a wonder Imcan think at all
I can think at all.
And though my lack of education
Hasn’t hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall.
KODACHROME
They give us those nice bright colors
Make you think all the world’s
A sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to photograph
So Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away”
Lyrics by Paul Simon, 1973
It was at the Clare Depot when I first learned the AA had declared bankruptcy on October 15, 1973. Shortly after that the aforementioned November issue of RMC arrived I the mail. Soon Carstens Publications introduced a new publication entitled “Railfan” with James A Boyd as its Managing Editor. The Winter Issue was Vol.1, Number 1.
(Ed.note: now called “Railfan and Railroad Magazine”, the September 2025 issue is now available.)
In the first edition, Managing Editor Boyd penned a must-read column called “Camera Bag”. In that monthly column, Jim shared his knowledge of photography, everything from the proper camera equipment to use, selecting the right film, and how-tos on getting a photo published.
My first endeavor to earn my own Nikon Camera was unfortunately ill-fated, yet I read each column as if it were gospel in the sure and certain hope, I soon would have a 35-mm camera of my own.
At first, Jim avoided naming his “favorite film to use” until the September 1980 edition of “Railfan”came out. In that issue’s Camera Bag column he admitted to all that his personal favorite slide film was Kodak’s Kodachrome 64. Jim Boyd went on to serve as the Managing Editor of “Railfan” and later expanded Railfan & Railroad Magazine until his retirement in 1997. Even then, he stayed on as its Editor Emeritus where he continued to contribute photos and writings.
I first met Jim while in the early stages of putting together my Morning Sun book on the Ann Arbor Railroad. Boyd arrived in my office near Cleveland on his journey from New Jersey to his sister’s home in Illinois in the fall of 2006, some 32 years after I began to follow his Camera Bag suggestions.
He had with him a little yellow Kodak box full of sparkling Kodachrome slide photos he had taken back in the summer of 1973. They were of the Ann Arbor Railroad operations in Elberta, Michigan. (Ed. Note: one of those photos, the one seen here today, was used in Warrick’s book on the AA)
Our friendship grew over the following few years with Jim calling me seeking a “bunk” along his journeys to and from his sister’s home. There were several lunches shared, and even a few railfan trips to local Akron locations. At one such lunch after my book came out, I’d invited my editor Karen along to meet Jim. Those two left me in the dust as they compared editing styles, English composition, and Karen’s personal vision and style of shooting railroad photos which fascinated Jim.
Jim’s monthly “Camera Bag” column ran until 2010. Spanning over 35 years, he taught generations of railfans about the fine art of photography. Along the way, he authored dozens of books for Morning Sun Books. One outstanding book that sits in a place of honor on my coffee table published by the Boston Mills Press in 2005 is titled “Outbound Trains”. The cover features a stunning Kodachrome photo as it includes Jim Boyd’s work in their “Masters of Railroad Photography” Series.
With the coming of age of Digital Photography, the production of Kodachrome ceased in 2009. The very last roll of Kodak Kodachrome manufactured was gifted by Kodak to renowned National Geographic photojournalist Steve McCurry. McCurry traveled the globe with that fabled roll of 36 exposures capturing images befitting its stature.
That very last roll of Kodachrome was processed on January 18, 2011, at Dwayne’s Photo Service in Parsons, Kansas.
Just weeks before roll was developed, James A. Boyd passed away unexpectedly in Newton, New Jersey on December 31, 2010. He was 69 years old.
When I heard of Jim’s passing, Paul Simon’s song kept running through my head…Mama took my Kodachrome away…
Photo by Jim Boyd, Summer of 1973 See less
