In the early 1960s, The Rio Grande hired Morrison-Knudsen to build a branchline from Brendel, Utah to a potash mine South of Moab. The 35.77-mile line was completed in 1963. The scenery on the line's southern end is spectacular with red rock canyons and deep cuts, along with the 7050-foot Bootlegger Tunnel, the longest railroad tunnel in Utah. The once-a-week "Potash Local" is the only train that regularly sees the rails this far South on the branch. Typically, the train runs on Friday mornings out of Grand Junction, Colorado, under the symbol LDG51B. After working Intrepid Potash the train is seen heading back East with 28 loads running under towering red rocks and the muddy Colorado River. The Colorado is the sixth longest river in the United States at 1,450 miles.
