Forth Rail Bridge, South Queensferry

Category

Library Item

Item no

37442

Title

Forth Rail Bridge, South Queensferry

Artist / maker

Murphy, Bernard

Date

2010

Size

10.2 x 15.2 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The Forth Rail Bridge was constructed between 1883 and 1890 and was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. The contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded to Tancred, Arrol & Co by the Forth Bridge Company. It took seven years to build and at the height of the works, 4600 men were employed.

Construction began only a few years after the Tay Rail Bridge disaster in which over 70 people were killed. In order to allay the fears of the public in the wake of this catastrophe the structure of this cantilever bridge was designed to be both visually impressive and enormously strong.

The bridge stretches 1.5 miles across the Firth of Forth between South and North Queensferry and its three towers are over 100m high. The bridge was opened on the 4th of March 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

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Related images

Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Railings

Communication > Post and telegraph > Postboxes

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

Places > Edinburgh areas > South Queensferry

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Bridges

Transport > Infrastructure > Railway bridges

Transport > Infrastructure > Steel bridges

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