Disaster by Design: The Tay Bridge Collapse

Toss a Coin to your Researcher? Support Via Patreon: www.patreon.com/BrickImmortar Locomotive Nicknamed "Diver": https://youtu.be/phvXVzBCrl8 The History of The Forth Bridge: https://youtu.be/0tEEVNHbUWQ The Quebec Bridge Collapse: https://youtu.be/e4DTMe0huXM The UK's Railway Safety Turning Point: https://youtu.be/dyo56rwtY2Q

I live near Dundee so am familiar with this disaster, and see the "tombstone" stumps of the collapsed bridge every day. But I didn't know the half of how and why it happened. Great video.

As a Dundonian, there's something eerie about crossing the 'new' bridge. You can see the old brick infrastructure to the side of the new. There's always a collective sigh of relief when you cross the Tay Bridge

The same thing could have happened to the South Esk bridge, which was also designed by Thomas Bouch. After the Tay bridge disaster they tested that bridge over a period of 36 hours and it turned out to be so weak and unstable that it had to be put out of service immediately. It was dismantled and a new bridge was built, it's still in use today. The Redheugh bridge in Newcastle (another design by Bouch) suffered a similar fate. Makes you think about Thomas Bouch's actual skills, doesn't it?

Greetings from Germany! We learned about this disaster in school, in 9th grade. There is a famous German poem - "Die Brück' am Tay" ("The Tay Bridge") by Theodor Fontane - that deals with the Tay Bridge collapse. However, I did not fully comprehend at the time that the poem was about a real event, thinking it was either fictional, or something that took place in Germany.

I imagine it was Strongly "Suggested" to the Locomotive's Crew to cross the bridge quickly so that more trains an hour could cross the single tracked bridge....

I'm from Dundee and found this a very informative video. As long as I can remember, those stumps in the water have given me the heebies. My dad's granddad worked on the original bridge so it was an often told story when I was young.

Of all of the elements that you have in your videos here, the part that I see most impressive and the one that makes me much more inclined to watch your videos more is the section that you do in each and every video listing the victims and either reading the names off or giving a time of silence as they roll. Every safety rule ever to exist exists because of someone being injured or killed. Very often these are forgotten as people discuss what happened and how things can be done differently. I very much appreciate that while you do talk about everything else, you still give us that time to consider who bled and who died to make the changes happen. Thank you

I crossed that bridge many times going on leave to Arbroath from the army and returning, and always looked at the old bridge stumps. It always made me think about what must have happened. It's a great bridge to cross, quite spectacular, and the curve let's you see the front of the train.

The iron tubes cast on-site by the second firm in the bridge construction were often faulty and employees were told to fill the holes with 'Beaumont's Egg', a mixture of resin and iron filings. To be fair, not a lot of knowledge existed about wind pressure then and it was a hit and miss affair which was very miss with the Tay Bridge. Finally, the new design of Firth of Forth rail bridge was so over-engineered that modern, much longer and heavier trains, can speed across it at speeds never dreamt of when it was built.

The crazy over-engineering of the forth bridge was a direct response to this, it really is quite something to see up close and personal, only a country recovering from a disaster like the Tay Bridge one could then go so completely overboard on the next big project Your video said the forth Bridge still stands today, i'd happily take any bet on it still standing in another 100 years! Its a monster.....

Your level of research and attention to detail is exceptional. I vaguely remember the Tay Bridge from when I went to Scotland as a child, but wow, this disaster is one for the books. I’m surprised that Queen Victoria didn’t strip Bouch of his knighthood.

The wall of names silently passing accompanied only by the wind made me flinch. Especially seeing a few children in the list. Eighteen is damned young to go, but seeing victims at 9 to 11 years old is heart-breaking even 142 years later.

Reading the list of victims names was sad. It looked like many brothers died. And a lot of families were lost. It struck me how young almost all the passengers were. I can only imagine the pain felt by families when they realized their loved ones died in such a horrible way.

Appreciate the re-upload with the correction in conversion. We seen how an really expensive failure on the Mars Climate Orbiter was caused by an incorrect imperial-metric conversion and having a correct version of this video up Youtube is best.

I’m new here and I must say how professional and intelligent this video is. It got me at the end when you list the names of victims along side of a train disappearing as the names scrolled. Very touching tribute to them!

Thank you for this upload! Excellent analysis! The Tay Bridge disaster has fascinated me for decades. I grew up in Germany. Sometime during the Middle School years we read and analyzed a very well written ballad poem by German poet Theodore Fontane “Die Brück’ am Tay” (Translates as The Bridge across the River Tay”). Online translations of this beautiful poem as a rule are pretty horrible. But it seems Mr Fontane, who had been traveling in Scotland, was quite affected by this terrible disaster. A lot of Germans are aware of this bridge collapse because of Fontaine’s poem. Thanks again!

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay! Alas! I am very sorry to say That ninety lives have been taken away On the last Sabbath day of 1879, Which will be remember'd for a very long time. 'Twas about seven o'clock at night, And the wind it blew with all its might, And the rain came pouring down, And the dark clouds seem'd to frown, And the Demon of the air seem'd to say- "I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay." When the train left Edinburgh The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow, But Boreas blew a terrific gale, Which made their hearts for to quail, And many of the passengers with fear did say- "I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay." But when the train came near to Wormit Bay, Boreas he did loud and angry bray, And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay On the last Sabbath day of 1879, Which will be remember'd for a very long time. So the train sped on with all its might, And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight, And the passengers' hearts felt light, Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year, With their friends at home they lov'd most dear, And wish them all a happy New Year. So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay, Until it was about midway, Then the central girders with a crash gave way, And down went the train and passengers into the Tay! The Storm Fiend did loudly bray, Because ninety lives had been taken away, On the last Sabbath day of 1879, Which will be remember'd for a very long time. As soon as the catastrophe came to be known The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown, And the cry rang out all o'er the town, Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down, And a passenger train from Edinburgh, Which fill'd all the peoples hearts with sorrow, And made them for to turn pale, Because none of the passengers were sav'd to tell the tale How the disaster happen'd on the last Sabbath day of 1879, Which will be remember'd for a very long time. It must have been an awful sight, To witness in the dusky moonlight, While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray, Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay, Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay, I must now conclude my lay By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay, That your central girders would not have given way, At least many sensible men do say, Had they been supported on each side with buttresses, At least many sensible men confesses, For the stronger we our houses do build, The less chance we have of being killed. William Topaz McGonagall (The world's worst poet).

Omg thank you for the special call out! When i first saw how long that bridge was gonna be, i was like ohhh mannnnn, this one needs to be perfect and not rushed AT ALL. And yet....here we are.

Very informative; thanks. I crossed the new bridge many thousands of times as a Driver for British Rail between 1980 and 1992 (getting stuck on it one night for a short time during a gale).