Yes, very difficult access, and yes, hirails used extensively. The vehicles we saw heading into the canyon from the west end just a couple hours after the slide were all setting on at the MofW crossing at Crossport and hirailing in. Don't know what machines were coming in from the east end. Don't know what trains, if any, were detoured over MRL.

Kootenai River Canyon is almost as much of a bottleneck for the northern transcon as Abo Canyon used to be for the southern transcon. Approximately 19 miles between Crossport and Yakt are restricted to 30 m.p.h. for freights due to numerous tight curves. Sidings at Katka and Leonia are within this speed zone. When you hear crews or the Boyer East dispatcher refer to "the canyon" over the radio, they're talking about the Kootenai River Canyon. Just like Flathead Tunnel east of Libby (which is referred to simply as "the tunnel"), the canyon is a measurable factor in BNSF operations in the Northwest.

There are a couple of private roads which reach down to the track and/or river's edge between Crossport and Katka, all gated shut and posted "keep out." The sportsman's access road that zigzags down to the railroad near Katka is currently gated shut as well. You can get a pretty good glimpse down onto the railroad from public forest roads, plus a couple of "secret" vantage points that require considerable hiking and scrambling over loose rock and dense brush.