Madison station (C&NW) facts for kids

Madison
Former Chicago and North Western Railway station
The front of the station in 2020
Location	201 South Blair Street Madison, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43°04′36″N 89°22′32″W / 43.076604°N 89.375677°W / 43.076604; -89.375677
Owned by	Chicago and North Western Railway (1871–1965) Madison Gas and Electric (1965–present)
Platforms	3 island platforms (none remain)
Tracks	5 (1 remains)
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Architect	Frost & Granger
Architectural style	Neoclassical
History
Opened	1871
Closed	1965
Rebuilt	1885, 1910
Services
Preceding station Chicago and North Western Railway Following station Mendota toward Minneapolis Chicago – Minneapolis via Madison Oregon toward Chicago Terminus Madison – Milwaukee Cottage Grove toward Milwaukee Verona toward Lancaster Lancaster – Madison Terminus Services at nearby Franklin Street station Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Madison Terminus Madison – Milwaukee via Watertown Burke towards Milwaukee Madison – Portage Darwin towards Portage
Chicago and North Western Railway, Passenger and Freight Depots
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Part of	East Wilson Street Historic District (ID86000618)
Added to NRHP	April 3, 1986

The Madison station was once a busy train station in Madison, Wisconsin. It was used by the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) for both people and goods. Train service for passengers stopped in 1965. The station building and its nearby freight depot were then bought by Madison Gas and Electric (MGE). Today, these buildings have been updated and are used as MGE's offices.

Both the station and the freight depot are important historical sites. They are part of the National Register of Historic Places as contributing properties to the East Wilson Street Historic District. Another railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Milwaukee Road), had tracks close by and its own station.

History of Madison's Train Stations

First Train Depots

The very first railroad to reach Madison was the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad. This company later became part of the Milwaukee Road. Their first station was built in western Madison in 1854.

The Chicago and North Western (C&NW) built its own line to Madison in 1864. This line came from the south and crossed Monona Bay. The first C&NW passenger station at this spot opened in 1871. The C&NW wanted to share a station with the Milwaukee Road. However, the Milwaukee Road said no and built its own station instead.

Madison became an important meeting point for the C&NW. New train lines were finished, heading north to places like Baraboo and Minneapolis. Other lines to Lancaster and Milwaukee were completed in the early 1880s. A new C&NW station was built in the same spot in 1885. This building was quite large and even included a hotel and a dining room.

The Current Station Building

After the Milwaukee Road opened a new station in West Madison, the C&NW decided to build a bigger, more modern station. This new station was planned to cost about $500,000. Leaders in Madison's government liked the idea. However, some local business owners and residents were against it. They worried that the plan would close the street crossing at Blount Street to make room for larger train platforms.

This disagreement led to many legal battles. These lawsuits lasted for 10 years before the C&NW changed its plans. The new, smaller station finally opened in 1910. It cost $250,000, and the Blount Street crossing stayed open. A freight depot, used for shipping goods, was also built around 1908. It was located just northwest of the main station.

The new station was very successful. In 1915, people described it as a "bustling, buzzing, exciting hub of activity." The station served many different passenger trains. These included local trains and famous named trains like the Duluth–Superior Limited and The Viking. Later, faster trains called streamliners began to run. Madison was served by the Minnesota 400, which was later renamed the Dakota 400 and Rochester 400. At their busiest in the 1940s and 1950s, these trains traveled as far west as Rapid City, South Dakota. The Twin Cities 400 from Chicago to Minneapolis used a faster route through Milwaukee. It connected to the Minnesota 400 at Wyeville. The station was also used for special trains carrying fans to University of Wisconsin football games.

End of Passenger Service

After World War II, fewer people traveled by train. Cars and airplanes became more popular. The Rochester 400 train made its last trip on July 23, 1963. This left Madison with only one C&NW train, a local service to Chicago. This last train was stopped on June 21, 1965.

Later that month, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) bought both the passenger and freight stations for $390,000. MGE moved its main offices into the complex in 1983. They updated the inside of the buildings but kept the outside look of the passenger station. The area around the station became a historic district in 1986. The station property was listed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places in 1989.

What the Station Looks Like Now

The station built in 1910 was designed as a "stub end terminal." This means some tracks ended at the station, while two other tracks continued through to the west. This design helped keep trains organized and avoided traffic jams. However, because of Madison's geography, trains coming from Milwaukee still had to back up to reach the northern line to Minneapolis.

The building was designed by the company Frost & Granger. They were known for designing other important railroad buildings, like the Chicago and North Western Terminal in Chicago. The Madison station is a two-story building built in the Neoclassical style. It is made from Bedford stone and looks similar to the Chicago terminal.

The freight depot is located nearby, at the corner of Blair and Railroad Streets. It is two stories tall and made of red brick, with large, rounded windows. A roundhouse, where trains were stored and repaired, was also built east of the station. This roundhouse became famous when a steam engine's boiler exploded there in 1898.

The two C&NW tracks used to cross a single Milwaukee Road track in a unique way. This was a special diamond crossing right within the Blair Street road crossing. Today, only one track remains. It is now used by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.

Milwaukee Road Station

The Franklin Street station, also called East Madison station, was a Milwaukee Road train station. It was located at 501 East Wilson Street, just one block west of the C&NW station. The first station at this spot was built in 1869.

This first station was replaced in 1886 with a new building. It was built in a Victorian Gothic style to compete with the new C&NW station. This station served trains traveling from Madison to Portage and Milwaukee, including a train called the On Wisconsin. The station was torn down in 1952. After that, all Milwaukee Road passenger service moved to the West Madison station, which is still standing today.

Gallery

• 

  The freight depot, northwest of the station in 2020.

• 

  Postcard of station from the 1910s.