Before Amtrak and before the internet, how were people across the country made aware of train schedules? I would imagine that different legs of the trip would be on trains owned and operated by different train companies, complicating matters even further.
For example, if someone wanted to go from, say, St. Louis to, say, Washington, did they just find an eastbound train out of St. Louis (maybe there was one going to Indianapolis) and then find another train going further east (maybe there was one going to Columbus) and then further and further until they got to their destination?
You booked your travel through a travel agent, whose business it was to keep track of all the train schedules. The world’s first travel agent began as rail excursion planner in 1841.
Passengers planning a lengthy trip over multiple lines with frequent services could just wing it, but more often they would consult with a travel agent or their local railroad station agent, who in turn would refer to their handy copy of the Official Guide of the Railways.
In the UK they would consult the famous Bradshaw which, as the article mentions, crops up in such works as Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Many people would have a copy of this timetable at home.
In addition to what’s already been said, you could get passenger schedules from the individual railroads for personal reference. I have an old Missouri Pacific “Route of the Eagle” schedule that my father used to use for business travel. If I did it right, here’s one on an eBay store very similar to mine. But I think for a one-shot trip, you’d rely on agents, as the others mentioned.
Starting about 1893 you could’ve made the whole trip on the B&O.