End of the line nears for Millbrae depot

CalTrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie said the current plan is to use the two-story building for office space for construction workers along the railroad. Because the depot is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, its structure cannot be altered.

According to the 1862 agreement forged between Darius Ogden Mills and the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad, Mills intended the building for use exclusively by the railroad. The agreement stipulates if the building is not used for the railroad, the land is supposed to revert to the ownership by Mills' heirs. However, Maltbie said the Mills heirs are supposed to file an opposition in such a case, something that has not yet happened.

There is another idea for the use of the old depot floating around the city of Millbrae. The former president and current treasurer of the Millbrae Historical Society said one idea is to turn the depot into a railroad museum.

Vern Bruce, owner of Millbrae Lock and a member of the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, said a potential museum could contain historical artifacts from Bay Area railways, from the Historical Society's own collection as well as other sources. For example, Bruce owns a 1941 Pullman Sleeper Car, which he maintains at Hunter's Point in San Francisco. Depending on how the property surrounding the station is used, perhaps this kind of railroad car could be displayed as part of a museum.

Bruce emphasized that this idea has not advanced past the initial discussion stage. However, he and other railroad aficionados would like to utilize the depot building in a way that would highlight its historic importance to the Peninsula and the Bay Area.

In 1860, after Mills purchased the 1500 acres from the Buri Buri, he wanted to establish a train station for guests to his estate, known as Happy House. Later, the train station was used to ship milk from his Millbrae Dairy. Founder of the Bank of California, Mills deeded the land to the railroad in 1862. The railroad began laying track in 1863, and constructed the first depot at Millbrae in 1864. Southern Pacific Railroad Company bought the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad in 1868, encompassing the Peninsula line within line that would stretch to San Diego.

The first railroad master was the son of Alfred F. Green, Mills' partner in the Millbrae Dairy. F.H. Green not only served as station master, but also operated the first post office, located at the depot. The second floor of the station originally included living quarters, where the station master and his family could live.

Perhaps the most famous passenger ever to disembark at the station was Ulysses S. Grant, who served as president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. On Sept. 30, 1879, the Civil War hero arrived at the Millbrae Station in time for dinner. A guest of Mills' at his fabulous four-story, 42-room Victorian French chateau