Madison is a historic and large Morristown Line Station elevated on a steep embankment above the streets of downtown Madison. It is a two level rockfaced stone veneer station in the Collegiate Gothic Style designed by 'in house' by the DL&W Rairoad by architects Frank J. Niles and William Hull Botsford. It opened on April 17, 1916. The station received some renovations in the 1980s and between 2001 and 2003 received an ADA modifications with elevators up to each platform and a mini-high platform at the front end of both platforms. This also included new tactile warning strips along the majority of each platform that is still low-level but as ADA modifications go kept the integrity of the original station intact. The mini-high portions of the platforms have canopies in the same style as the historic ones along the main portions of each platform. The station has two side platforms for the two track line.
The station platforms fit completely between the bridges over Prospect Street at its southeastern end and Green Avenue (that becomes Waverly Place) at its northeastern end. A staircase leads up to the ends of each platform from these intersections. An additional pedestrian tunnel connects the two platforms beneath the station houses. This tunnel gradually slopes downward from the south side to the north sideIt is in this underpass that the new elevators up to each platform have their lower landings. The platforms have original tan colored canopies held up concrete pillars that are part of the concrete fencing along the platforms. These canopies cover 320 feet of the middle of the Newark-bound platform and 190 feet of the Hackettstown-bound platform.
The Newark-bound platform has the historic station house. This station house is only open from 5:30am to 1:30pm Monday through Friday. When the station house is closed there are just three staircases off this platform (an additional one just east of the station house) to the 83 space parking lot interspersed with plenty of greenery between the station houses and Kings Road, there are two additional parking lots with 339 more spaces. This building has a large waiting area directly at platform level. Inside the depot is a room with brick walls decorated with stone shield reliefs with similar carved wood reliefs above the windows frames. There are two sets of long wooden benches that have neat light fixtures above the seating with built-in heat. The roof of the waiting area is high and extremely gabled, made of wood with relatively small light fixtures. At the western end of the station is a small corridor that leads to the restrooms and continues to a modern area where one of two upper landings of the street elevator is directly into the waiting room. The elevator also has two doors at this same landing of the elevator on the side of the station house where a new exterior walkway leads around the station house directly to the platform during most hours when the station itself is closed. Inside the waiting area a double staircase leads down to a small area beneath the platform. This leads to a small area with a neat arched ceiling with historical ceiling tiles. There is a single ticket window open just during weekday rush hours from 5:30am to 9:00am. Tickets is written in Gothic text above the window. Doors lead directly out to the parking lot to what was once a covered drop-off loop for the station that is now just a large decorative awning (with stone pillars, an extension of the station). A shorter corridor leads past a newsstand and coffee counter opened during morning commute hours and an additional door into the underpass tunnel.
The Newark-bound platform has one more building. Towards the northwestern end of the platform is a small stone freight house that is boarded up and in the same style as the actual station. A steep cobblestoned narrow driveway leads up to the embankment of the railroad line from street level to a small parking lot used by some employees at the same level as this platform. A fence outside of the parking has a small sign that says No Exit but passengers clearly use the driveway judging from a trail formed along part of the grass near the other end of the freight shed between the platform and driveway.
The Hackettstown-bound platform is directly alongside Lincoln Place just beneath it. In the middle of the platform directly above the underpass is the station's platform shelter. This shelter is nicely heated and now has to be kept open 24/7 because it contains the upper landing of the platform elevator. Inside is a mini-version of the main waiting area with a wooden roof and two heated wooden benches (that lack the light fixtures above them). On each side of this shelter area an outdoor staircase leads down (2 total) to the underpass. The pedestrian tunnel is slightly above Lincoln Place and a short staircase leads down to this street that doesn't provide ADA access. All stepfree access to the tunnel is only available from the Newark-bound side of the tunnel.
All Photos: 4 November, 2013
Convent Station 
Chatham