Disaster by Design: The Tay Bridge Collapse

The bridges at dundee are still regularly closed when it gets windy, when I was young I use to complain about it, that was when I first heard the story I cannie imagine dying in those fridgid waters

Those on the train had literally NO chance of escape.

Drowning in dark,freezing water is a horrible way to go.

and today i found out why my relative Margaret Kinnear died at 17...

If I'm on the court of inquiry, I ask a simple question: So a train falling over on your bridge and collapsing it is considered acceptable?' Contractor: 'Uuuuh...'
To me, there's no difference. Whether it collapsed because of winds or the train 'falling over', you didn't build your bridge strong enough.

Woo Hoo!!!!! An American who can say both Edinburgh and Middlesbrough properly!!!!!

It seems the bridge design was "Bouch-ed"

I'm sorry

German poet Theodor Fontane wrote an epic ballad about the Tay Rail Bridge disaster. The words "Tand, Tand ist das Gebilde von Menschenhand" ("Trumpery, trumpery is the creation of human hands") has become a standing expression, mostly when commenting tongue-in-cheek on failed DIY projects.

Thank you for covering this—I wrote a paper on this disaster when I was a history student at St Andrews (town/university near Dundee). What always struck me was how much we owe the people who died. Their tragic deaths have shaped years of safety regulations and change as evidenced by the auditing of bridges that followed the disaster. Though their deaths were an unwilling sacrifice, I hope they rest in peace and can find peace in the gratitude we owe them.

Thanks!

Apparently Bouch was one of those engineers who didn't believe in "theory" (i.e. detailed calculations) but designed things by eye (see "The High Girders" , the gripping book on the disaster by John Prebble). He also consulted George Airey, the astronomer royal, on wind loads. Though Airey was a competent mathematical physicist, he lived in Kent, SE England (benign climate), and had no experience of winter weather in Scotland. Consequently his wind loading estimates were low by a large factor (I can't remember the number). This came out at the inquiry.

Always very interesting, somehow we still make mistakes today.

What a great video! I grew up in Wormit and when the tide is out you can climb up onto one of the “stumps” of the original bridge. Did it often as a teenager!

I went over this bridge last year, in a storm. I can tell you it still sways in the wind. The bridge was closed a half hour later 😅

Good video thanks.

Shoutout the Omaha aquarium, I'd recognize that anywhere! Love your stuff, could watch your videos all day!

Thanks!

I'm seriously doubting Sir Bouch's skills as an engineer. I know little to nothing about engineering, but even I can tell that such a fragile structure couldn't serve as a railway bridge, let alone in such a rough environment.
Theodor Fontane, a famous German poet wrote the poem "Die Brück' am Tay" as a tribute to the disaster and a warning against putting too much trust in technology.

I wonder what the heavy sparking signified right before the collapse? Did it try to stop?

On a more lighter note, the disaster also spawned the poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster" by William McGonagall, widely regarded as the worst of all time.

Always hated crossing this on the train

One of the worst things about this disaster is that carriage doors were locked from the outside back then. For those who survived the impact there was no way to escape, other than breaking the windows and swimming out, which would have been almost impossible.

Cast iron is always inferior to wrought iron or steel.

Moe, Larry and Curly Engineering seems to be overlooked.......

"The fourth bridge still stands proudly" sad story for all involved, hope we can all learn from this.

Maybe you can do the Tacoma Narrows bridge? I think it was called Galloping Gerty

Does anyone who watched this at the start explaining the circumstances and speed.. not think the eye witness describes a blast of some sort?

"The bridge didn't fail, the train tipped over first!" is probably not the foolproof argument they think it is.

Ulysses S. Grant was quoted as saying "It's a big bridge for a small city". Am I wrong in suggesting that this comment may have spoken to the overall intelligence of President Grant?

Contemporary reports put the wind speed nearer to 80mph it was a huge blow to Victorian pride that the bridge fell, thanks for the video

As someone who passes from one area of Scotland to Dundee via the modern railway, it's always felt so strange, seeing the remains of the original Tay Bridge, and even moreso when you read its history and what happened. I'd like to thank you for the respect for the history of this accident, even if it was over a hundred years ago now, as it's an important part of Dundee and Tayside's history now.

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.

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).

Not many people would take the time to list those who lost their life's, Thank you.

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 people’ 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.

Very good story telling, thanks for your work.

omg! this was horrible !

Bad day to be a Watson

good content, thanks!

Elizabeth Milne one of the victims was related to my family. In 1952 we lived in Newport, there I suffered a severe head trauma. We moved back to Dundee whilst I was in a coma and on Sunday 28th December 1952, I had had a nightmare, I had witnessed the accident. Elizabeth had found me and related the scene of devistation, and standing on the sandbanks I was looking at the wreckage and the dead. For 70 years I have carried Elizabeths spirit inside me. Believe me or not but I have written about Elizabeth for years. Her body was never recovered.

what is the blood cost are some willing to pay

Outstanding presentation. If you can find a copy of the book, "The High Girders", read it. Very complete discussion of the construction issues, lack of bottom surveys, and the metallurgy involved that is well worth your time.

From what I have read the reason for the trains speeding across the Tay Bridge is that North-Bound local trains would be held up to avoid delaying express trains and would make lost time while going over the bridge, a gradient leading to the bridge on the north end prevented south bound trains from doing the same.

Great video. Thoroughly enjoyed the complete break down of what happened...very well produced. Thank you for sharing!

It's amusing to listen to an American narrate the Tay Bridge disaster just after listening to a Briton narrate the Silver Bridge collapse.

For all of you saying that beeswax and iron fillings were used to cover cracks in the system so to speak, you're absolutely right. This was a common practice back in the days when we knew nothing about mechanical engineering.

"Before the Great War the world looked like a meccano set" - James May...... TRUTH

Glad you made an episode on "The Diver".
This story just isn't complete without that addendum.

I read a book simply titled "Bridges" when I was a child in elementary school,( grades 1 through 5 for those overseas). I was always obsessed with this and the Ashtabula horror as those were the two that really stood out to me along with the Tacoma narrows bridge collapse... Really am glad you covered the diver!