I never had a chance to visit the Erie Mining operation when the F-units were in regular service, so it's a real treat to have them operating again, though it's only going to be for a short time. On July 23rd I joined Mark Lynn and Kevin Madsen for a trip up "Da Range" to catch the F's in action, or so we hoped (there is no set schedule). After four hours of waiting at Salem in the bright sunlight, there was no train. We soon found out there had been a delay, but the F's would run on the 24th. After a night in Superior, we headed for Salem again. Unfortunately, the skies had clouded up overnight, and there was little sun when we arrived at the Salem bridge. One hour. Two hours. No train. No sun. Then, a rumble in the distance, and something of a miracle. When the train rounded the corner towards the bridge, a tiny hole appeared in the overcast skies and sent down a tiny ray of sunlight. It only lasted two minutes, but it was enough. Nearly full sun for my first shot of the Erie Fs. There was much rejoicing at Salem!
