Forth Bridge by Nop Briex

About "Forth Bridge"

by Nop Briex

About the artwork

The Forth Bridge is a 19th century railroad bridge connecting the banks of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. This type of bridge is also known as a cantilever bridge. The bridge is located between the towns of North Queensferry and Queensferry. On March 4, 1890, the bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.

The bill to build the bridge was passed on May 19, 1882, with the only objections coming from rival railroad companies. The steel was produced by Frederick and William Siemens (England) and Pierre and Emile Martin (France). Technical improvement in the 1970s made it possible to produce high-quality steel very quickly. Work on the bridge began under the direction of Thomas Bouch, but was abandoned when the Tay Rail Bridge, another of Bouch's designs, collapsed during a storm in December 1879 leading to the Tay Bridge disaster. The work was taken over by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker and carried out between 1883 and 1890. The first four years were spent building caissons (watertight chambers) and constructing the piers. Due to the collapse of the Tay Bridge, the Forth Bridge was calculated to withstand a hurricane. Steel was delivered by train and prepared at the South Queensferry shipyard, dyed with boiled linseed oil and then taken by barge to where it was needed. For a time a paddle steamer was hired to transport workers, but after a while it was replaced by a specially built ship, which could carry 450 men.