Yeah I mean I worked around the Z trains on CSX terminals... you're talking the parcel and priority stuff. Walmart uses run of the mill intermodal jobs, not necessarily the steel wheel priority hotshots. They are on of the largest users of intermodal to feed into their DC network from other larger DCs or westcoast crossdocks of import goods.
By Pan Am's "decent" job of growing intermodal you mean it fell into their laps and PS did 99% of the work. The benefit of the forum if you can armchair analyze as much as you want, the simple truth was PS was facing capacity issues and needed a solution so they drove one. Who do you think leases the Eimskip boxes?
Well aware of the paper industry, they've prime users of intermodal up here. My refernece was the imbalance of inbound to outbound loads, a lot of empty repositioning happens up here. Also just telling you what I know and JB Hunt guys were disappointed that Pan Am couldn't get them to Waterville and that Ayer is still a forgotten mudpit stuck in purgatory of NS/PARs estranged joint venture. CSX is eating the lunch on intermodal out of New England, even though the UPS RDC is in Chemlsford closer to Ayer, the CSX service and rate structure is way better.
Remember too back 20 years ago Maine had two active intermodal terminals part of the Class I network, serviced by both IMCs and steamship lines. In 2001 Auburn moved 11,000 container loads for CN. I don't know off hand the peak figures for Waterville, but they had a book of business as well about the same time period. Without Conrail/CSX and CN these ventures wouldn't have worked at all, and once those guys lost interest the service fell apart.
To tie it all back in to the original post, a Class I with a strong partner can certainly revive the intermodal fortune in Maine and Waterville is already built and ready to go (with some TLC I'm sure). Talk of CN returning to Auburn (intermodal, not buying SLR) and even CP hobbling together a ramp at Searsport with MPA in the near future may restore some of that fortunate. MaineDOT actually did a study back in the early 90s and determined the most ramps Maine could have and be successful was 2, which was Waterville (Almost Bangor) and Auburn. B&A wasnt pleased about this (effectively they were out of the loop) and blazed ahead with getting a small ramp at Bangor (quickly unsuccessful). The State put up a pitty ramp in Presque Isle knowing that wouldn't work, largely they need the forest product guys and McCains to sign on and they only really got one of those parties to try it with mild and mixed results (how many RRs does it take to ship trailers from PI to NYC?)