The year is 1860. The counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara incorporate the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad, the first commuter railroad west of the Mississippi. By 1864, two daily trains run between San Francisco and San Jose, stopping at the original Millbrae depot which is an adobe building. Four years later, Central Pacific acquires the railroad, and in 1879 Southern Pacific acquires Central Pacific.

In 1890, the adobe depot burns and is replaced by a wooden building similar to the current depot. This building, in turn, burns in 1906 and is replaced in 1907 by the current building which has a collonaded design unique among Southern Pacific depots but is painted in the classic Southern Pacific pallette including SP Colonial Yellow and SP Dark Yellow.

In 1978, prompted by Southern Pacific's intention to tear down the building, the Millbrae Historical Society succeeds in placing the building on the National Register of Historic Places. Two years later SP moves the depot two hundred feet to the south to accommodate the widening of Millbrae Avenue. In this location, it continues to serve as the Millbrae Depot until 2003 when the new BART/Caltrans station replaces it.

The depot currently houses the Millbrae Train Museum; however, hours of operation are limited. More information is available from the Millbrae Historical Society.

Links to photographs of some historic Caltrain stations on the San Francisco Peninsula, with mileage from the main San Francisco Depot on Townsend Street near the Giants Ball Park:

Millbrae 13.7
Burlingame 16.3
San Carlos 23.2
Menlo Park 28.9