Milwaukee Road Depot (Madison, Wisconsin) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madison
Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station
Two passenger trains seen at the depot in May 1967.
Location	640 West Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53703
History
Opened	1903
Closed	1971
Services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Middleton towards Rapid City Rapid City – Madison Terminus Terminus Madison – Milwaukee via Watertown Franklin Street towards Milwaukee Madison – Milwaukee via Waukesha Lake Waubesa towards Milwaukee Madison – Rondout Lake Waubesa towards Rondout Madison – Portage Franklin Street towards Portage
Milwaukee Road Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The historic depot with "CMStP&P" written on the outside
Location	640 West Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Area	1.7 acres (0.69 ha)
Built	1903 (1903)
Architect	Frost & Granger
NRHP reference No.	85000990
Added to NRHP	May 9, 1985

The Milwaukee Road Depot in Madison, Wisconsin is an old train station. It was built in 1903. A company called the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as Milwaukee Road) used to run it. This station was a busy place. Many passenger trains, like the Sioux and Varsity, stopped here.

The station was right next to a big area for trains. This area included a train yard, a turntable (to turn trains around), and a roundhouse (a building for train engines). This was one of two Milwaukee Road stations in Madison. People also called it West Madison station to tell it apart from the Franklin Street station. In 1952, all Milwaukee Road trains in Madison started using only this station. Train service in Madison stopped completely in 1971. This happened when the Milwaukee Road company decided to stop all its passenger train services.

What is the Depot Now?

Today, the old Milwaukee Road Depot has a new life. It is now a shopping center. You can find a bicycle shop, a café, and a restaurant inside.

Trains on Display

Outside the depot, you can see a special train engine. It's an EMD E8A locomotive, which is a type of train engine. Its number is MILW 35A. It sits there for everyone to see. There are also several old passenger cars next to it. These cars belonged to different railroad companies. Some are from Milwaukee Road, some from New York Central Railroad, and others from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Remaining Track

A single train track still runs in front of the depot. The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad company uses this track today.

A Historic Place

The Milwaukee Road Depot is a very important building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This means it's recognized as a special place in American history. It was also added to the State Register of Historic Places in 1989.