What is the ratio of paper mill traffic, whether it is bound for a mill, for e.g. pulp, or originated at a mill, e.g. finished paper is transported via rail verses truck in Wisconsin? Which of the big railroads, UP, CP, BNSF or CN have the most paper mill traffic on them? Where does the clay slurry come from? Is there an even balance of traffic that moves via box car verses container on these lines or is it more one-sided? Do each of the big systems have intermodal facilities in close proximity of the paper mills or are containers run to and from the mills from Milwaukee or St. Paul for example?
CN gets whatever Paper traffic that they want, normally the higher quality papers. The mills producing tissue products get poor service, particularly those off the mainline. CN has a small container facility at Chippewa Fall, WI, but that facility tries to draw traffic from Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN and is served only by a daily local freight. The only other Container facility in Wisconsin is a private facility owned by Ashley Furniture at Arcadia, WI on the west end of the former Green Bay & Western.
Otherwise any Intermodal traffic originating in Wisconsin has to go to either Chicago or the Twin Cities. Pulpwood only moves on a few Shortlines in Wisconsin. No Class I railroad moves any pulpwood or wood chips in Wisconsin anymore.