The Potash Local is a weekly job that runs from Grand Junction, CO to Potash, UT (about 15 miles southwest of Moab). The train only runs on Friday's and had clear blue skies on this day as the train passes just east of Thompson, UT.
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The Potash Local departs the mainline at Brendel (the Crescent Junction exit on I-70) and turns south on the Cane Creek Subdivision. The terrain starts off very open in the Utah Desert, but will change rapidly as the branch approaches the Colorado River.
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Having descended down to the level of the Colorado River, the Potash Local follows SR-279 through a Canyon about three miles from the end of the line at the Potash plant.
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The Potash Local has reached the end of (roughly) 30 mile journey down the Cane Creek Subdivision. On this Friday afternoon, the local was led by a C40-8 sporting "baby wings" on the nose.
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It is getting late in the afternoon (around 5pm) as Amtrak 5 moves swiftly through the desert just west of Agate. The train has left Ruby Canyon behind and has sped up to track speed at 79 MPH.
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With the Book Cliffs posing as a backdrop, Amtrak 5 moves at track speed (near 80 MPH) along US-6 on its journey west. The train is approaching the siding of Desert, about 8 miles west of Green River, UT.
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Minutes before the sun sets in the western sky, Amtrak 5 heads west through the siding of Cedar (running just about on time) under a half moon high up in the southern sky.
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The last unpatched Rio Grande unit left in the world (as of the time of this photo). DRGW 5371 holds down the fort at Helper, assigned as power on the Dirt Train running between Helper and East Carbon City on the Sunnyside branch.
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Lights in the lower yard at Helper light up DRGW 5371 as it sits idling, awaiting its next duty. The unit will leave Helper in November for a triennial inspection, where it will almost certainly be patched.
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This shot is quite intentionally dark as I feel it is more artistic this way. I think the highlighting on 5371 - the last active, unpatched Rio Grande unit as of the time of this photo - just makes the picture perfect.
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Only the light from the moon reflects off the rails at the east switch of Mounds. A few of the brighter stars can be seen streaking through the night sky as they (or rather, the earth) moves during the duration of the photo.
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With the last rays of the setting sun still highlighting the Utah desert, Amtrak streaks through at track speed.
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Sitting on one of the engine tracks (along with two Union Pacific SD40-2s), DRGW 5371 - the last unpatched, active Rio Grande unit - awaits its next assignment on the Dirt Train.
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Just east of the siding of Sphinx, Amtrak 5 moves along the base of the Book Cliffs. They look quite good in the setting sun!
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The remains of what appear to be a traction motor (perhaps?) lays covered in dirt about 100 feet away from the tracks at Brendel. The Potash Local switches in the background.
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