Today marks the anniversary of one of the greatest engineering disasters in Scottish history.
Opening in 1878, the Tay Rail Bridge marked a significant step forward in transportation between north and central Scotland. Prior to the opening, it was necessary to cross the Firth of Tay by boat. Passengers and cargo had to be offloaded from the train in either Dundee or Tayport, loaded onto the ferry, and then reloaded onto a waiting train on the opposite side of the river. A time-consuming and expensive process. The bridge avoided this, opening up transport links between Fife and Aberdeen, and beyond, boosting not only trade but tourism.
There were difficulties during the construction, when it was found that the bedrock was deeper than had been anticipated from the initial survey at the middle of the river. The chief engineer, Thomas Bouch, redesigned the pillars and was able to reduce the numbers, resulting in wider spans between them. The spanning girders for 13 of these spans were above the height of the rail line rather than below, as was the case for the other 72 spans, which allowed for greater clearance below the bridge. At nearly 2 miles long, the bridge was the longest in the world at that time, and Thomas Bouch was awarded a knighthood after the opening in recognition of the achievement.
At approximately 7pm on 28th December 1879, a train proceeded onto the bridge during storm force winds travelling from Fife to Dundee. Tragically, as it crossed the centre section the bridge collapsed, with the five carriages carrying approximately 75 passengers, along with the locomotive and staff, plunging into the depths of the River Tay. Rescue at the time was hampered by both the weather and the risk the remaining sections of the bridge presented.
The exact number of lives lost will never be known, due to inadequate ticket-keeping records, children under five years of age and employees of the railway not requiring tickets to travel, and passengers disembarking at the stations before the bridge out of fear of the crossing. The names of 59 of the victims are known, although only 46 bodies were recovered. The estimated total number of passengers has since been revised to have been around 60.
An inquiry followed and concluded that an inadequate wind load factor had been used in the design of the bridge. It was the central section, where the span was wider and the girders above the track, which failed. The quality of the materials used was also brought into question, with the report considering that the bridge had been poorly designed, poorly constructed, and poorly maintained. Blame for the disaster fell heavily on Thomas Bouch, who had been under intense pressure from his clients not to increase the cost of the construction despite the difficulties with the depth of the bedrock. Bouch had also been involved in the design of the proposed Forth Rail Bridge, and it was ruled to scrap the plans and start again. He died only a few months after the report into the disaster was published from cancer, although many theorise that it was the guilt and stress of the disaster which led him to an early grave.
A memorial for the victims now stands on either side of the river, with our good friend, Stuart Morris, Laird of Balgonie, who led the campaign. Stuart's great-great-great grandmother, along with her 16-year-old granddaughter, died in the disaster.
It is said that on the anniversary of the collapse, the sound of a steam train can be heard crossing the bridge, before silence falls. Visions of lights crossing the bridge, before vanishing and even a phantom train have also been reported.
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