Union Pacific's Friday morning 'Potash Turn' curves west along the Book Cliffs at Vista curve, a couple of miles east of the siding at Thompson, Utah. The 12 car local was called out of East Yard at Grand Junction, Colorado at 09:30 a.m. that morning. Activity along the 85 mile journey westward to Brendel included meeting Amtrak #6 at Durham, an overtake by a BNSF Denver-Provo manifest at Fruita, and a one car set out at the lonely desert outpost of Westwater, Utah.