The first railroad entering Madison was the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad, a predecessor of the Milwaukee Road. Their depot was established on the west side of Madison in 1854. The Chicago and North Western constructed a line to Madison in 1864 from the south, crossingMonona Bay. The first passenger station on the site was established in 1871. Due to the proximity of the Milwaukee Road, the C&NW originally wanted to construct an union station in the area. The Milwaukee Road declined and built their own depot. Madison eventually became a junction point for the Chicago and North Western, as lines were completed north to Baraboo and Minneapolis. Other lines to Lancaster and Milwaukee were completed in the early 1880s. A new station was completed in the same location in 1885, and included a hotel and dining room within the structure.
Current depot
After the opening of a new Milwaukee Road depot in West Madison, the C&NW made plans for a new larger station, costing $500,000. Leaders in the government of Madison were in support of the plan, but nearby business owners and residents objected. These objections were due to the plan that would close the crossing of Blount Street to allow for expanded platforms. A series of legal proceedings ending up costing 10 years before the C&NW revised plans. The scaled-down station opened in 1910, at a cost of $250,000, and the Blount Street crossing remains open to this day. A freight depot was also built c. 1908, just northwest of the station. The new station was a success, and was described in 1915 as a "bustling, buzzing, exciting hub of activity." The station served local and named passenger trains, such as the Duluth–Superior Limited, The Mountaineer, and The Viking. With the introduction of streamliner trains, Madison was served by the Minnesota 400, later renamed the Dakota 400 and Rochester 400. The Twin Cities 400 from Chicago–Minneapolis used the faster line through Milwaukee, with a connection to the Minnesota 400 at Wyeville. The station was also used for special trains for University of Wisconsin football games. Intercity passenger trains in the United States declined after World War II, with fierce competition from the automobile and airplanes. The Rochester 400 made its last run on July 23, 1963. This left Madison with only one C&NW operated train—an unnamed local train to Chicago. This too was discontinued on June 21, 1965. Madison Gas and Electric bought the passenger and freight station later that month for $390,000. MGE moved their main offices to the complex in 1983, and renovated the interior, while keeping the exterior facade of the passenger station. The surrounding area was listed as a historic district in 1986, and the property was listed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Site description
The 1910 station was built as a partial stub end terminal, with two through tracks connecting to the west. This configuration allowed for separate tracks that would be terminating at Madison, and avoided congestion. However, the geography of Madison still required trains from Milwaukee to perform a backup move in order to access the northern line to Minneapolis. The structure was designed by the firm Frost & Granger, who was notable for designing other railroad buildings such as the Chicago and North Western Terminal in Chicago. The two-story neoclassical structure was made from Bedford stone and was designed to be similar to the Chicago terminal. The nearby freight depot was built on the corner of Blair and Railroad Streets. It is two stories tall and made from red brick, with large rounded windows. A roundhouse was also built to the east of the station, and became notable when a boiler of a steam engine exploded in 1898. The two tracks of the C&NW intersected a single track of the Milwaukee Road with a unique diamond crossing within a grade crossing of Blair Street. Only one track currently remains, and is operated by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.
Milwaukee Road Station
The Franklin Street station, also known as East Madison station, was a Milwaukee Road station. It was located at 501 East Wilson Street, one block west from the C&NW station. The first station on the site was built in 1869. This was replaced with a 1886 structure in a Victorian Gothic style, in order to compete with the new C&NW station. It served trains from Madison to Portage and Milwaukee, including the On Wisconsin. The station was demolished in 1952, and all Milwaukee Road passenger service shifted to the still-standing West Madison station.
