Race to the North

the long version

In the late 19th century, some of Britain's leading mainline railway companies threw caution to the wind in an attempt to provide the fastest passenger express services between London and Scotland. These became known as the 'races to the north' and came in two phases, in 1888 and 1895, and they spurred the building of new bridges across the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay. David Wragg's detailed narrative tells the story of this famous commercial competition as he describes the pioneering engineering of the steam age, the massive construction projects and the cut-throat battle for passengers and freight.