Last-Day Charter Wide Format
Saturday, April 8, 1961, was the last full day of service on the Long Beach line and the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association charter was positioned in the then-unused Morgan yard in Long Beach and sporting a “Via Oak Knoll” destination sign.
While there, a professional photographer set up a large wooden camera on a tripod. Using technology from 50 years prior and before the common use of the wide-angle lens, he took a photo with a spring powered panoramic camera that slowly rotated and exposed the film over the entire arc of the picture. The result was a high-quality negative (and similar sized print) approximately 30 inches wide. The photographer, believed to be a Geo. Mehl of Altadena, then offered prints for sale to those who wished to order them. I am in the photo (right below the 3rd window from the front) — if anyone else viewing this picture also was on that trip 58 years ago, then leave a comment!
Geo. Mehl Photo, Stephen Dudley Collection
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This picture was posted on the site over a year ago and no one has responded that they, too, were on this trip. Not too surprising as the picture was taken almost 59 years ago and even the youngest in the picture would now be about 80 years old. I now live in Oregon — and I know one other person who was there that day and who lives not many miles from me. Might we be the only two left?
I’m standing lower right on the steps. I made the white flags. At least three of us from Altadena are there and still around I believe – me, Richard Morley & Charles Seims. I see John Plytnick (deceased) from the bay area. The photographer was also from Atadena, and he also took our school group photos with his old rotating camera on a tripod.