1870s Travel From Portsmouth to Liverpool

My gg-grandfather's journal describes his trip from Cornwall to the United
States. He traveled from St. Dominick, Cornwall to Portsmouth and stayed in
a hotel near the train station. The next entry describes sailing from
Liverpool to Queenstown, and then on to New York. From his mention of the
Portsmouth railway station, I infer that he took a train from Portsmouth to
Liverpool, a distance of about 250 miles. Would this have been the most
likely form of travel between these cities in 1873? Approximately how long
might such a trip have taken? Possible travel times from the journal are 5
hours, which seems too short (average of 50 mph), and 17 hours, which seems
exceedingly slow unless his travel were by boat. Any ideas or suggestions?

Ron...

Yes rail would have been the best way and most direct way to go - a boat
too far and too long

need 2 or 3 changes and duration 5 hours to 5 hr 16 minutes

I would imagine trains back then performed similar to now - BUT you
probably got dirtier last time I was on steam I had soot down my neck.

Of course perhaps he went via London and spent a night in the city so
could be 17 hours.

Jim DeGraff
Houston, Texas

RESEARCHING
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