Tay Rail Bridge

The Tay Bridge (sometimes unofficially the Tay Rail Bridge) is a railway bridge approximately two and a quarter miles (three and a half kilometres) long that spans the Firth of Tay between the city of Dundee and Wormit in Fife. This is the second Tay bridge as the first collapsed in December 1879.

A new double-track bridge was designed by William Henry Barlow and built by William Arrol & Co. 18 metres upstream of, and parallel to, the original bridge. The bridge proposal was formally incorporated in July 1881 and the foundation stone laid on 6 July 1883. Construction involved 25,000 metric tons (28,000 short tons) of iron and steel, 70,000 metric tons (77,000 short tons) of concrete, ten million bricks (weighing 37,500 metric tons (41,300 short tons)) and three million rivets. Fourteen men lost their lives during its construction, most by drowning.

The stumps of the original bridge piers are still visible above the surface of the Tay even at high tide as seen in this photo. This was taken at c. 4.30pm