Virginia Central Railway
1894 map showing the PF&P's line between Fredericksburg and Orange.
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| Reporting mark | PF&P |
|---|---|
| Locale | Central Virginia |
| Dates of operation | 1876–1926 |
| Predecessor | Fredericksburg & Gordonsville |
| Successor | Virginia Central Railway |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Previous gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 38 miles |
The Potomac, Fredericksburg, and Piedmont Railroad (PF&P) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge short-line railroad in central Virginia that operated between Fredericksburg and Orange, Virginia. It operated until 1926, when its track was sold. A one-mile portion of the former PF&P line continued to be operated as the Virginia Central Railway until the early 1980s. The track has since been removed.
Portions of the East Coast Greenway run along the former railway.
The PF&P began as the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad, incorporated in 1853 by the Virginia General Assembly. By the time of the American Civil War, the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad had only completed precursory grading work and had laid no track. Therefore, it was referred to as the "unfinished railroad" by both sides in the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of the Wilderness, which were fought on and near its route. 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.
Construction of the line began in 1872 as a 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge line; the effort succeeded in laying eighteen miles of track west from Fredericksburg. Late in 1872, the railroad defaulted on a mortgage and was sold under foreclosure. The Fredericksburg, Orange, and Charlottesville Railroad, incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly in February 1872, bought the railroad with the stipulation that if the remaining 20 mile extension was not completed to Orange by July 1873, the railroad would forfeit its ownership of the line. After the Fredericksburg, Orange, and Charlottesville failed to bring the railroad to Orange by the specified time, the line was returned to the state and the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville name restored.
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