The Tay Bridge Disaster - 1879 

The original bridge's foundations still remain to this day

As Fascinating Horror proves. "The history of safety is written in blood"

Thing is, there was actually nothing wrong with the design of the original Tay Bridge; the new bridge that stands next to it was built to a modified version of the same design. The story that "The wind was too strong and the bridge too weak" has long been disproven. The actual cause was poor manufacturing. The bridge's designer, Thomas Bouch, had specified that the holes where the iron sections were to be bolted together should be drilled in after casting, thus making a nice straight hole that would hold the bolt securely. But the ironworkers on site thought that would take too long and so cast the holes while pouring the iron instead. To do this however, they had to use conical wooden dowels in the mold, which led to the holes being cone-shaped and allowing the bolts to rattle around in the joints. Train drivers, including those on a train that crossed the bridge just half an hour before the collapse, reported hearing the bridge rattling and popping beneath them, especially if they were going at excessive speed. Photographs of the wreckage that was dredged from the Tay show not bent and twisted iron as you'd expect if the bridge was just blown over; in fact many parts of the support towers remained standing at least partially. And the parts that were broken? All around the bolt holes. Over time the rattling of the loose bolts in their cone-shaped holes led to fatigue cracks that eventually split or sheered open under the strain of that night's storm. It was just a matter of time.

0:13 “weren’t as finely crafted as others?” That’s the Gundagai bridge, longest wooden trestle in Australia, still intact (albeit abandoned) just shy 130 years since it was built. If that ain’t finely crafted I don’t know what is ;)

The centre section of the Bridge, the section that carried away. Was known as "The High Girders" and had been arranged like that on account of Royal Navy Admialty standing orders, that allowed British sail powered Warships passage under the bridge. As for the metalwork of the bridge that wasn't carried away in the storm, much was moved sideways and re-used in the new double track replacement bridge, built with extra metalwork to allow for the second track. It too had a high section in the centre section AS PER THE ORIGINAL. but of a different design also allowing sailing ships to pass under it.

John Prebble's book, "The High Girders" explains that Bouch had been misled by the Met Office, who'd underestimated the potential wind strengths. It's been a long time - over fifty years since I read the book, but I recall that he'd been given wrong information on which he based his calculations. The bridge was badly built and maintained, and it seems the combined wind resistance of the train within the 'High Girders' and the girders themselves proved the final straw. To a great degree Bouch was the scapegoat, for a great many other peoples' failures. Ironically, No 224, an express engine wouldn't have been on the train that night, but the regular engine, a small tank, had broken down. Apparently she was rather reluctant to leave the river, breaking free of her lifting chains twice! Most artist's recreations of the disaster get it wrong, showing the train falling into a gap in the girders, when in fact the carriages were still within the High Girders when they were recovered.

2 points: 1. The disastrous collapse of the Tay Bridge ended the otherwise successful career of its architect Sir Thomas Bouch. 2: The construction of the Forth Bridge had just started (to a similar design) and was stopped as a result. It was completely redesigned & massively over-engineered to prevent any repetition of the Tay Bridge tragedy. The resulting magnificent structure still stands today, carrying modern trains over the Forth estuary. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What a very sad tale about how mother nature can be very cruel. Excellent informative review as always, it's just a shame that this one had to be especially sad.

Brick Immortar did an interesting documentary type video on the Tay Bridge disaster a few months ago. For those that want to learn more detail about it.

I liked this episode. Railway infrastructure is fascinating to me and I enjoy hearing about tragedies like the Tay Railway Disaster because there's an opportunity afforded to learn from and appreciate the sacrifices and losses which advanced the industry over time. Thanks for posting! You should make more content about large Railway infrastructure!

This disaster has always interested me more than any other. Possibly because it was the ONLY disaster where absolutely NO ONE survived.

The last picture from the introduction looks like the bridge in Nueva Imperial, Chile over the Cholchol river. It's know because it colapse in during the inaugural crossing, with authorities and band in it. You should check it! That was the 5 of august 1902, later they build another one but nowadays it's unfortunately abandoned.

“The Diver” Man I know some railway nicknames aren’t exactly flattering but that’s cruel, why’d they do the poor engine like that?

The worst part of the disaster was of course the resulting poem by William McGonagall: 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.

Hairsplit: 0:27 I don't think there was any steel used on the bridge (except possibly the rails). Wrought iron spans and cast iron columns on stone piers. 0:57 "The bridge only allowed one engine on at a time during such weather". It was single track, when would it have allowed more than one engine? NBR no 224 was only ever nicknamed 'The Diver', never officially. And it was 29 years before any driver would take it across the new bridge. To say the bridge was 'rebuilt' is euphemistic, an entirely new bridge was constructed parallel to the line of the old bridge, on Googlemaps Satellite View you can see the abandoned piers of the old bridge just east of the new bridge.

Some say the ghost of the engine can still be seen across the bridge

I never knew the loco was called The Diver after this. That’s kinda hilarious and insensitive at the same time.

Any chance you could do the 1914 Attica, Indiana bridge disaster? I grew up seeing photos of it in the McDonald's, but I've literally never seen anyone cover it beyond that. I believe it involved a derailed freight train on the bridge, a shoddy inspection declaring it safe to cross, then a major passenger train disaster as the bridge fell into the Wabash River while it was crossing. It was kind of a childhood staple in me learning about trains and I'd love others to learn about it, and possibly learn more myself.

The bridge that goes across my train yard sure wasn't crafted too well 🤣 never fails to get multiple rim breaking potholes in it every year

"And every year, on the date of the accident, it runs again, as a warning to others. Plunging into the gap! Shrieking like a lost soul!" Seriously though imagine how cool it would be if the 'ghost train' on TV that Percy's driver saw was a horror film about the engine involved in the disaster, and how was recovered and went back into service, likely in universe having a face before the accident and was found without one, with its spirit haunting the bridge. Leans into the superstitious aspect that was present with the real engine and is based on something that actually happened instead of being connected to a crappy Thomas recolor.

The piers surviving in the photo, immediately before the break do not have cross-bracing immediately under the trussing of the Low Girders. This would also have existed under the now missing High Girders. Painters on the bridge noticed an up and down movement and a snaking of the High Girders as a train, (over) speeding up to compensate for the initial climb, entered them. The enquiry was as detailed as it would be today, with Valentine's photographs and (some measure) of strain testing. The instability of the supports for the High Girders was noted. Add the gale, the poor construction, poor maintenance and weakening caused by excessive train speeds, plus broken lugs and the fall was inevitable.

Underrated channel tbh. It's short but interesting, informative and has humour

Excellent video, albeit short. Something like this could be a half hour documentary examing the catastrophe in detail.

I didn't expect a topic on the tay bridge disaster, but you made it happen, so good job on covering the disaster for up, thank you

If I may make a suggestion, consider talking about the Kinzua Viaduct in McKean, PA. It was the 4th-tallest railway bridge in the world until a tornado collapsed it in 2003. You can still visit the site and walk on the remaining sections.

Great vid ToT, thanks for the great vid.

Awesome 😎 I love these bridge’s

Storms are everyone’s worst enemy

And to add insult to injury the disaster was immortalised by one William McGonagall, a Scottish poet who won notoriety as an extremely bad poet. As if the dead had not suffered enough.

That what would be a stupid way to go out. Falling off of a bridge and just sinking, knowing your doom was coming

The first verses of three poems by William McGonagall, about the Tay Bridge. 1: The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay: "Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay! With your numerous arches and pillars in so grand array, And your central girders, which seem to the eye To be almost towering to the sky" 2: "The Tay Bridge Disaster" "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." 3: An Address to the New Tay Bridge "BEAUTIFUL new railway bridge of the Silvery Tay, With your strong brick piers and buttresses in so grand array, And your thirteen central girders, which seem to my eye Strong enough all windy storms to defy." Yeah, he was not the best of poets.

Unbelievable. They salvaged and restored the engine and even gave it a callous new name!

A movie about this incident on theatre screens is what we need now, and who to direct except for Francis Ford Coppola?

Almost sounds like that T&F episode ‘Duncan Gets Spooked’ with the twist that the engine was recovered

I've been in Dudnee, I saw HMS Unicorn, I even saw the bay and the standing bridge, but I didn't even notice the ruins of the old one.

In Richmond, Virginia, we had a railway bridge that burned down twice and had four iterations.

The myth of Tay rail bridge is that every year on the anniversary of the crash, you can hear the hear the rumble of the train and the driver and the passenger’s cries.😰

Great video. Please do one on the Severn Railway Bridge next!

The troll living under the bridge: And no one suspected a thing...

It's a bizarre accident that cost all the lives on-board the train. It shall be remembered for that matter.

Big up the Stockport viaduct at 0:10, I marvel at its glory every time if drive under it.

great video about an awful moment in history that prooves how important it is to do things properly in terms of safety

They should never have allowed the last train to go onto the bridge.

There is part of an iron girder from the Tay Bridge that is on display at The Museum Of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Can you please please pretty please do a video on the Midland Railway Paget locomotive and the Midland Railway Johnson 0-6-0 locomotives please.

i actually went on the tay road bridge not long ago this was a great video

Could you soon talk about Blowbacks?

Thank you

I remember hearing this story from many creatores about spooky tails about railways or whatever there clickbait titles were now I may be missrmembering but in the modern day dont they have a tail about it? (also here are a few more question I wanted to give) Q1: What happened to 224 Q2: How is Tay Bridge doing currently and Q3: Are there any pieces of the coaches still around in museums or anything similar?

The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore, not like they did back in 1954!

fun fact train of thought. my friend josh actually told me about this and the engine that fail off the bridge while moving he actually made it a oc, and he named it "Buck" so i kinda already known about this, sorry your gonna have to find something more interesting

I always wonder where he gets this information

I LOVE IT

I heard of this tale before.

The locomotive passed over the new bridge unscathed. Irony. It was the only survivor.

liked video so sad to 👍😢

They called the engine that fell in the river the diver. Funny stuff.

I love these

I live in Dundee, nice

Many people who go to school in a German speaking country know about this because the poem "Die Brück' am Tay" by Theodor Fontane is often read in German class.

You can’t put a price on safety.

what song is in th e background

Ayee, deltarune music! Nice.

Maybe talk about the Snowdon Mountain Railway opening day crash with N.O 1 LADAS

Very interesting!

Sir Thomas Bouch ending shame.

After this, it would be nice to see the fate of the Severn Railway Bridge as well!

what engine was it?

They needed better material

Regin of Queen Victoria, 1837-1901.

I would like to see the bridges foundations ngl

The locomotive was restored and ran over the new bridge many years later.

What happened to the Diver

Also lead to some hilariously bad poetry.

A lot of those 18th century bridges were already there from the previous civilisation that was reset.... the Tay was not one of them.

😔👍

the bave locomntive in real life

speaking bridge's heres a Overseas Railroad

bedrock but fell💀

"Oh its a good idea to past on a bridges while its storming" is it me or are the ppl stupid back then

why is this episode so soad i feel so bad for the ones who died on the bridge Edit: sad*

My names cold tay morris I’m just on my mums account

Am I the second

Aha I'm actually first.

Im 2nd

I’m 6th (again I think)