At Nelson (MP 137.8), where the line from the Smelter at Trail arrives from the west, along the south bank of the Kootenai River, there is a yard with a maintenance facility (including building with track) on the north side of the line, right on the river bank, as both line and riverbank turn east-northeast, past the old wooden depot, and the single track, OCS, line turns northeast, on the south side of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, past Bogustown, Troup (MP 132.3), where a BN line trails in on the south side (coming down the slope from the southwest, Nickawa, Koolaree, and the 3,686 ft. siding at Atbara (MP 128.1).
The line follows the lakeshore, turning curvily east past Lourdes, Harrop (MP 122.0), a detector at MP 120.2, Sunshine Bay and the 3,774 ft. siding at Proctor (MP 117.8), where it turns southeast as the lakeshore does, past Nasoakin, and then curvily south on the west side of the lake, past the 4,358 ft. siding at Blake (MP 107.5), a slide fence at MP 104.9, a slide fence at MP 104.3, a slide fence at MP 101.9, a short tunnel, Drewry (MP 98.6), Midge Creek, a slide fence at MP 93.6, the 2,930 ft. siding at Tye (MP 91.4), where line and lakeshore turn south-southeast, and three more short tunnels, turning east and crossing the south end of the lake on a spectacular trestle, past Kootenay Landing (MP 82.9), on an island in the middle of the trestle, to Sirdar Junction, whence a short branch once headed north to the lake pier at Kuskanook, which was the original southern terminus of CP barge service on the lake (later replaced by Kootenay Landing).
Turning south-southeast alongside a smaller lake to the west, the line passes Atbara (1st), and the 4,033 ft. siding at Sirdar (MP 80.0), and then continues on the east edge of the flat valley floor of the Kootenay River, past a detector at MP 75.2, Wynndel (MP 73.8), Loasby, where it turns south, Wynndel (1st), Creston Junction, where the GN Kettle Valley line once left on the west side, and the line starts to climb up the east side of the valley, past the 2,354 ft. siding at Creston (MP 67.2), turning east, up over a ridge, and then northeast past Erickson, Canyon, and Lipsett, east-northeast to the 4,464 ft. siding at McConnel (MP 55.4), east, curvily southeast past Kinett, south to a counter-clockwise horseshoe back north, east, southeast past Goatfell (MP 45.6), and east-southeast, turning east as the Kingsgate subdivision trails into the Nelson subdivision at Curzon (MP 42.6).