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I am not the foremost expert on the subject; briefly, the RF&P was
chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1834, with the mission to
construct a railroad from Richmond north to the Potomac river. The RF&P
had exclusive railroad rights for this corridor.
Construction began shortly thereafter. The line was completed to Aquia
north of Fredericksburg in the late 1840s, where they interchanged with
steamboats to continue on to Washington. This fulfilled the charter,
and they were only allowed a branchline up to 10 miles in length.
During the war, the RF&P was torn up at least twice by each side, and
rebuilt each time, each side not wanting to give it to the other when
retreating.
The top half of the RF&P from Washington south was created as a PRR
subsidiary, the Alexandria and Quantico, which met up with the RF&P's
"branch" at Quantico, I believe in 1871. This northern half was later
renamed the Washington Southern, and was fully merged into the RF&P in
1922.
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Brief History