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ATTLEBORO - You could track American railroad history through Donald Haskel's virtual photo album.

More than 800 of Haskel's photos, spanning five decades, are on www.railpictures.net, which says it has "the best railroad photos on the 'net!"

Usually armed with his trusty Canon Rebel, Haskel, an Attleboro resident, gives new meaning to "zoom lens."

He has snapped pictures of trains for nearly 50 years, sometimes riding locomotives across the country for a good shot.

"The basic fun for me when time is available is to drive to Worcester, where many rail fans hang out on a daily basis," said Haskel, a member of the National Railroad Historical Society. "On the station platform, some of us will be showing our photos to others, either with our laptops or iPhones. Some of us will be setting up for that great shot. Others will be hanging around, just glad to be in the company of other fans watching he train action."

This interview was conducted by e-mail.

SUN CHRONICLE: So, what inspired you to start photographing trains?

DONALD HASKEL: My father was an amateur photographer. So I grew up in photography environment.

I started out taking pictures of ships and lighthouses. My father knew the management of a Boston tugboat company. He would arrange for a captain to take me out on a tug, where I would take pictures of ships and tugboats at work. I would process the film and make prints in one of my friend's houses. His father was a photographer for the Boston Globe and gave me tips about shooting film. I had good solid knowledge in basic photography.

One day, I was set to go out on a tugboat trip, but the seas were heavy due to a previous day storm. The tugboat company did not want to risk having a young civilian on board - I was only 14 years old - so, my trip was canceled. But I went to Boston anyway by train and decided to find something else to take pictures of.

As I was crossing a bridge over a New Haven Railroad yard at Dover Street, I saw a whole new world of photography laid out before me. I saw freight cars, locomotives and train crews switching. I took some color shots and was fascinated by how well the images came out.

I gradually took more trains shots and fewer ship and lighthouse shots. The inspiration was enhanced by watching long, fast freight trains roll by through rugged scenic mountain terrain in the Berkshires. So, I have always been intrigued by transportion modes.

SC: What is the greatest length you have gone to snap a shot? Has the increased security at stations made shooting harder?

HASKEL: The greatest length I have ever gone to snap a shot was taking Amtrak across the country from Boston to Los Angeles. The trains I rode were the Crescent Limited and the Sunset Limited. I took many shots from the vestibule of these trains. When I reached LA, I rented a car and drove out to the Mojave Desert to the Tehachapi Mountains, where the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific railroads run freight trains between LA and the Bay area.

I learned a few lessons here. The car had no AC, a big mistake, and I did not wear a hat nor did I have enough water to drink. In spite of this, I took hundreds of shots and enjoyed the whole experience. If I had the time and money, I would do this at least once a year.

The increased security at stations has been challenging to many rail photographers.

I have not had too much of a problem because I have not been shooting much lately.

Amtrak recently, out of the blue, decided to ban photography from any of their station platforms unless you have a ticket. But the basic rule of photographers' rights still remains. If you are on public property, you can still shoot. If you are on private property with permission, you can still shoot.

For the most part, railroads like railfans and rail photographers as long as they follow safety rules. Railroad police and regular police are trying to maintain public relations, keeping harassment at a minimum. Though, I still read stories about a photographer standing on public land being arrested and having his camera confiscated as if he were a terrorist. I am much more cautious now than I was back in the '60s and '70s.

SC: It seems every avid photographer has a trusty camera. What's yours? How long have you had it?

HASKEL: I still use my trusty Canon Rebel that is a low-end good SLR film camera.

I also have an older Nikon that was an excellent camera with a good lens. But it has some mechanical issues, so I use it more for a back up.

I have a low-end small digital camera that I grab if I don't want to spend money on film or don't want to drag equipment with me.

I anticipate purchasing a high-end 10 Megs pixel camera in the future.

Digital and film photography platforms are neck-and-neck now for quality of image. There are many features in a digital camera not available in a film camera that make it ideal for a railroad photographer.

SC: How does the Attleboro Train Station compare to during your childhood? Are there any facets of the station you remember that you miss?

HASKEL: Actually, I did not come in contact with the Attleboro station until the '60s.

But, I do recall vividly when the Attleboro Tower was still functioning and manned by tower operators.

Also, the track structure is so different now. The rail is continuous welded steel with no "clickity clack" rail joints. And, of course, the trains of the '50s right through the '90s were not electrified.

It is amazing how many different railroads have operated through this station over the past 50 years. We can start with the New York, New Haven and Hartford. Then, the Penn Central; then, Boston and Maine (running the T and Amtrak trains). Then, came Amtrak, the MBTA, CONRAIL, CSX and finally Amtrak Acela.

It is amazing, though, when you consider that Attleboro still has the original westbound and eastbound station structures intact and maintained. They are beautiful structures with their tile roofs and brick faces.

It would be great if someone would set up a boom truck over the tracks to get an elevated shot of both stations with the track running underneath the photographer in the bucket as several trains were coming by. The Historical Commission could start a yearly celebration, call it Attleboro Railroad Day.