In the late nineteenth century, some of Britain's leading main-line railway companies threw caution to the winds in an attempt to provide the fastest passenger express services between London and Scotland. These became known as the 'races to the north'. There were 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 gripping, detailed narrative tells the story of this famous commercial competition, and he fills in the background, which is no less interesting - the pioneering engineering of the steam age, the massive construction projects, the cut-throat battle for passengers and freight, and the deep inter-company rivalries that drove the rapid development of the railways during the Victorian period.