[1] By the time of the American Civil War, the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad had only completed precursory grading work and had laid no track.

During the second day of the latter battle, on May 6, 1864, the roadbed served as a trail used to move forces for a flank attack by Confederate General James Longstreet.

The company planned to use the PF&P, which would be extended westward from Orange by the Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad, to transport these resources eastward.

[5] The PF&P's track was narrow gauged to 3 ft (914 mm) and was extended to Orange by early 1877, a distance of 38 miles from Fredericksburg, the eastern terminus of the line.

[8][9] The first and second sections of the trail in Fredericksburg, from Cobblestone near the train station to the intersection of Lafayette Boulevard and the Blue and Gray Parkway opened on September 20, 2014.

The third section extended it west across Jefferson Davis highway, into Spotsylvania County and back across Hazel Run to a connection with the Idelwild neighborhood via the Blue Trail.

[10] Although the Potomac, Fredericksburg, and Piedmont Railroad suffered numerous financial difficulties over its history, the line was able to become profitable as a common carrier.

Since the Royal Land Company's plans to build the railroad westward to tap the coal and iron deposits in the Shenandoah Valley fell through, these commodities did not account for a significant portion of the PF&P's freight revenue.