How long did it take to go to St. Louis by Philadelphia using the railroad in the 19th century?

Question

I need to know how long it took to get to St. Louis, Minnesota from Philadelphia by railroad in the 1800s and also what railroads were like in the 19th century. Thanks.

Answer 1

I do not have any hard numbers to give you but I can say that during the early 1970s it was taking the private railroads around a day, perhaps a little more, to reach St. Louis, MN from Philly (of course, this was merely what the timetable indicated, it likely took a little longer).  Obviously during the 19th century it took much longer because of older technology although I would make an educated guess of between 3-5 days.