Taking the train from Llanstadwell to London 1860s/70s

[ruthruss]

Hi there, I've been reading up on the Great Western Railway but cannot get much of an idea of times, etc. If my ancestor lived in Llanstadwell and was taking the train to Paddington Station for examinations between 1867 and 1871, how might he have gotten there, and how long might it roughly have taken him and cost? Any resources I might have missed?

[KGarrad]

Nearest station to Llanstadwell was at Neyland; originally a station on the South Wales Railway.
The South Wales Railway became a part of GWR on 1 August 1863.

Neyland to Paddington was 285 1⁄4 miles.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Wales_Railway

Train speeds were limited by gradient, number of stops, curves and track maintenance.
Edinburgh to London averaged about 40mph.
Refreshments on trains didn't appear until 1879 - usually trains stopped at stations for meals.

Neyland to London, not including stops, would take at least 71 hours 7.1 hours.

[ruthruss]

71 hours!! No wonder he referred to it as "a considerable distance" when writing to the College secretary! Thank you for this info.

[ruthruss]

Do you mean 7.1 hours? I just divided your distance by the average train speed and got 7.1.

[KGarrad]

Do you mean 7.1 hours? I just divided your distance by the average train speed and got 7.1.

Oops! Brain not working this morning

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Possibly took a bit longer - the Severn Tunnel didn't open until 1886, so trains would have gone via Gloucester and back down to Bristol. I've found an old Bradshaws guide on Google books which suggests Milford Haven to Paddington took about 10-12 hours

[Rena]

About Halfway down this Wikipedia page is an 1898 map showing the railway lines of the 19th century, which will give you an idea of whether there was a direct route or there had to be a change of trains or other transport mid journey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Great_Britain_1830%E2%80%931922

[ruthruss]

Possibly took a bit longer - the Severn Tunnel didn't open until 1886, so trains would have gone via Gloucester and back down to Bristol. I've found an old Bradshaws guide on Google books which suggests Milford Haven to Paddington took about 10-12 hours

Thank you so much!

[ruthruss]

About Halfway down this Wikipedia page is an 1898 map showing the railway lines of the 19th century, which will give you an idea of whether there was a direct route or there had to be a change of trains or other transport mid journey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Great_Britain_1830%E2%80%931922

Really appreciate this. Love seeing the map.