The branch opened in December 1831 with a ceremonial train, pulled by horses, carrying directors of the B&O and various politicians from Baltimore.
[citation needed] The branch was initially used by the many mills in the city to rapidly ship flour to Baltimore for sale.
Outbound freight traffic later diversified to include milk, bricks, limestone, and some manufactured goods from Frederick.
[3]: 265 Passenger service lasted until November 1949, and the branch gradually fell into disuse as local business customers switched to trucks to ship their products.
[4] As of 2012[update], the only remaining freight customer on the branch was Willard Agri Services of Frederick, located on Wisner Street.