London's transportation network once set the pace

While recently rereading the adventures of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, penned by Arthur Conan Doyle, it struck me how, long before smartphones and online cab hailing, the industrious elements of London society nonetheless managed to dash about the city with a speed worthy of the Greek victory goddess Nike.

When Holmes, who came to define the detective story genre, was hot on the trail of a clue in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he was known to say "the game is afoot!" before flying into action.

But how did the celebrated detective, in the era of horse-drawn carriages and steam engines, ever manage to catch up with his prey in cases that sometimes took him far beyond the limits of London?