The Rick Burns Train Photograph Collection is a collection of almost 500 photographs of trains and train stations in and around the Madison area in between 1963 and 1967, the years that he attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison. 

You can view the digitized photographs at this link.

Information about the collection as written by Rick Burns, the photographer*:

“How did I get to Dane County? I was in the Class of 1963 at York Community High School in Elmhurst, IL. It was in the era of the military draft and my Dad was a Colonel in the US Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. I knew I wanted to be a military officer, and at the time, only the Navy was offering college scholarships.

It was a simple scholarship: Free Tuition, Free Books, and a monthly stipend of $50 (in 2024 money that would be $510.40). You had to find your own room and food. The student had to get into the University and also get an NROTC Scholarship to that school. There were 53 approved Universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Michigan, UW Madison, University of California, Berkely, etc.) These were the top 53 schools in the United States and they Navy would pay either in state or out of state Tuition. In return, you had to complete 3 summer training cruises (Good salary for 7 weeks), and serve 4 years on Active Duty. In my case, I served 4 years on Active Duty in the US Navy Supply Corps and then got caught up in the US Navy Reserve and after 30 years of service in 1997, I retired as a US Navy Captain.

In Madison, I lived two years in the Elm Drive B Dorms, then one year in the New Ogg Hall (it has been imploded), and one year as a boarder at a fraternity house at 619 North Lake Street. I was supposed to graduate in June, 1967, but I had one course from 7:45 am to 8:35 am Monday through Thursday from June to August, 1967. A great summer on the piers on Lake Mendota, but I also got my second railroad job.

My love of trains continued through high school in Elmhurst, IL and my 4 years at UW Madison. When I went for freshman orientation on July 9, 1963, I went home to Elmhurst, IL in the Parlor Car (First Class) on the Chicago and North Western Streamliner (Rochester 400) with dinner in the dining car. The train was discontinued on July 23, 1963, though the Chicago and North Western continued Madison to Chicago passenger train service continued until September 2, 1965.

My normal Saturday morning after a late-night date on Friday night in the Fall and in the Spring was to get up on Saturday Morning, get on my bike and ride out to somewhere and get photos of the “Sioux”, the 7:15 am passenger train to Chicago on the Milwaukee Road. Train 167 the Chicago to Madison TIME FREIGHT usually arrives about an hour later on the Milwaukee Road. Then, the Illinois Central way freight would come in from Freeport, IL. At lunch time, the Milwaukee Road freight from Madison to Portage would leave Monday through Saturday, Also, Milwaukee Road passenger train 117, the “Varsity” would arrive from Chicago at West Washington Avenue in Madison at 12:25 pm. Just in time to get train photos and go to a UW football game. (I only missed one home game in my 4 years, but that story will be added later.)

The only game I missed was in the fall of 1965. I went to the family Ophthalmologist in Glenview, IL. I had a noon appointment on Saturday, but I was finished, caught the “Afternoon Hiawatha” at Glenview to Columbus, WI and the bus to Madison to be back for the Saturday night social life after the game.

Historical Note – the first major intercity railroad passenger train discontinuance of service between two major US Cities occurred in the Summer of 1957. Both the Milwaukee Road and the Chicago and North Western Railway dropped passenger service between Madison and Milwaukee.

Let’s take a break and discuss what railroad passenger service was running in Madison between July 24, 1963 and September 2, 1965.

Illinois Central – no passenger service

Milwaukee Road – 2 trains a day to Chicago and 3 Hiawatha bus connections to Columbus, WI

“Sioux” left Madison at 7:15 am and arrived in Chicago Union Station at 9:05 am. This train had reclining seat coaches and a cafe parlor car (Parlor Car today is business class). Returning, left Chicago at 6:30 pm and arrived Madison at 9:30 pm

“Varsity” left Chicago at 9:30 am and arrived Madison at 12:25 pm Left Madison at 5:50 pm and arrived Chicago at 8:45 pm. This train had reclining seat coaches and a cafe parlor car (Parlor Car today is business class). In 1964, the Cafe Parlor Car was replaced with a panoramic Super Dome car with glass windows on top and a snack bar on the local level.

The Milwaukee Road also used chartered Greyhound Buses that ran from the West Washington Avenue Station via US 151 to the Milwaukee Road station in Columbus, WI, now in 2024 the Amtrak Station. They had an 11:10 am Departure via the luxury train “Morning Hiawatha” arriving at 2:50 pm in Chicago and at 3:50 pm departure from Madison arriving at 7:20 pm at Union Station in Chicago. There was a 3rd bus that connected with the “Afternoon Hiawatha” to go to Minneapolis.

On football weekends, there are many more passenger trains. The Milwaukee Road ran a football special from Milwaukee to Madison over the 50 MPH freight track between Watertown and Madison. Also, they ran at 9:15 am football special from Chicago stopping to pick up passengers only at Glenview, IL. Train 117 the “Varsity” followed the football specials. All three trains unloaded behind the Navy ROTC Armory at 1610 West University Avenue so football fans had a short walk to the game.

Chicago and North Western

The Madison Local left Madison for Chicago at 8:15 pm on weekdays and 7:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. It was about 4 cars long with one E 8 locomotive, a Railway Post Office Car https://www.american-rails.com/rpo.html, two baggage express cars, and a streamlined reclining seat coach. It arrived in Chicago at 11 pm. Its counterpart (different set of equipment) left Chicago at 11:01 pm and arrived in Madison at 2:30 am. The station was on Blair Street until late 1964 and then it moved to the yard office on Johnson Street on the northeast side of Madison.

Why this schedule (Eastbound, it transported all of the mail gathered through the day in Southern Wisconsin. The Railway Post Office workers sorted the mail as the train rode to Chicago. Westbound, it took all of the local mail from the big Chicago Post Office and sorted for communities in Wisconsin. This train stopped in Janesville and Beloit and mail was picked up and dropped off there. Also, the Chicago newspapers back then printed a train edition that was dropped off at the Chicago stations about 10:15 pm and in this case the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times were in Beloit, Janesville, and Madison for paperboy and store sales early the next morning.

After September 3, 1965 until April 30, 1971

Only the Milwaukee Road was left with passenger train service to Madison. The meal service and parlor car service were dropped in 1965 and the “Varsity” went to tri weekly service, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

My railroad work in Madison:

1. I was a car host on the 18 car Madison to Minneapolis Football Special for the Wisconsin Minnesota game. For a railfan, it was a dream situation. A free train ride, two free meals and I was given a $!0 tip ($80 in 2024)

2. In summer of 1967, I worked as a Yard Clerk checking freight cars ready to ship from industries for the Milwaukee Road

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1967 and went on Active Duty going to the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, GA.

1. Memories of Madison:
   
   1. The Manchester’s Santa Trains in 1965
   
   2. A great place to live and I retired to Holland, MI, an area like Madison
   
   3 Famous people I got to know as personal friends, though much older than I was
   1. Bob Hurlbut – the Milwaukee Road General Agent in Madison, the boss. One of the finest men I ever worked for. The Dane County Historical Society should do more research on the great work he did for the area.
   2. Elizabeth Brandeis, a UW Professor and daughter of Justice Brandeis of the United States Supreme Court – Even after retirement in 1965, my college roommate, Tom Hoffmann, and I would visit her home and learn more about the world from one of the greatest. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/raushenbush-elizabeth-brandeis. Tom and I would go to her home on Vilas Avenue for an afternoon of learning. We would go on a Saturday afternoon and she was always Miss Brandeis. Her husband, Paul Raushenbush, was always the guy that got the beer. We always called her Miss Brandeis, and Paul was just Paul the beer guy Only 20 years ago did I learn that Paul was the father of Unemployment Compensation in Wisconsin and the United States. Two weeks ago, in March 2024, Tom and I reveled at what role models they were.

Anyway, to finish my story, I went to the Navy Supply Corps School, and served 4 years active duty in the Navy and 26 years in the Naval Reserve. I returned to Chicago in 1972 after getting an MBA at Utah State University and joined management of the Milwaukee Road. At age 27, I became the Director of Marketing Research for Grain and Food Products and stayed with the railroad until April,1977, when I took the job of Assistant Corporate Transportation Manager for Savannah Foods & Industries (Dixie Crystal Sugar) in Savannah, GA, a company I worked for 21 years buy freight and service from the railroad industry.

I have traveled by train throughout the US and Canada including Alaska, in Panama, Chile and Argentina, in much of Europe, in Taiwan, New Zealand, and across Australia.

I am retired, but doing transportation work in Holland, MI including Operation Lifesaver www.oli.org.”

*Emphasis added by DCHS

Information about Rick Burns, written by himself:

“I grew up in Illinois and at the end of World War II in 1946, my Dad took a job with Westclox in Peru, IL and we were living at 9113 Phillips Avenue, Chicago IL. Every Friday, Dad would come back to Chicago on the “Peoria Rocket” on the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR, and as a 1-year-old, I fell for trains which is still my hobby today 78 years later.

I grew up in Peru, IL until age 8 in 1953. We regularly rode the “Peoria Rocket” and as a kid had many dinners in the diner on the train between Chicago and LaSalle, IL.

At age 8, we moved to Poplar Avenue in Elmhurst, IL. Poplar Avenue was 1 1/2 miles long and only crossed 4 main line railroads, the Chicago and North Western 4 track mainline, the Chicago Great Western, 2 track main line, the Chicago Aurora and Elgin 2 track mainline and the Illinois Central single track mainline.”