Tay Bridge Disaster


1879

Tay Railway Bridge
©2023 Gazetteer for Scotland

Tay Railway Bridge

In a fierce winter storm on the 28th December 1879, the Tay Bridge, which was completed only 19 months previously, collapses killing as many as 75 passengers and crew of the train which was crossing at the time, although the exact number of casualties is not known. Winds are thought to have reached 80 mph (129 km/hr) and an evening train that was travelling from Edinburgh to Dundee had reached the the thirteen 'high girders' which formed the central section of the bridge. The locomotive, five wooden carriages and a brake van fell into the river within a section of bridge. There had been no attempt to apply the brakes of the engine and it was therefore clear the driver had no warning of the collapse. An enquiry revealed that corners had been cut during construction to reduce costs, in particular the cross-braces and fastenings were not strong enough to resist the force of the wind. The bridge's designer Sir Thomas Bouch (1822-90) was disgraced and never worked again. The disaster led to a re-evaluation of various bridge designs, most notably of what was being proposed for the Firth of Forth resulting in the massively engineered structure we see today. The Tay Bridge was itself replaced in 1887. The locomotive which plunged with the bridge was recovered, restored and, with the nickname "The Diver", crossed the bridge on many more occasions until it was finally withdrawn from service in 1908.

No-one who fell with the train survived. Only 46 bodies were recovered, one near Wick in the north of Scotland, months later. 59 victims were identified and their names are recorded on memorials to the north and south of the bridge. The higher number of 75 is estimated due to poor record-keeping, and the presence of employees, season-ticket holders and children under five years of age who did not need a ticket to travel.


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