Tuesday 30 May 2006

Forth rail bridge - Baker and Fowler


Speaking of great nineteenth-century bridges, here's Scotland's magnificent Forth rail Bridge, a spectacular cantilevered steel bridge completed in 1890.

The photo at right gives an idea of the epic scale of this structure that links Edinburgh to the highlands, and stands exposed to the worst the North Sea can throw at it.

A famous demonstration of the structural principles at work in this innovative bridge was undertaken by the proud designers. Click on the pic to above for a more detailed description.

LINK: Forth bridge - Wikipedia
Demonstration of structural principles: the Forth rail bridge - Imperial College of London

TAGS: Architecture

4 comments:

Joe Hendren said...

When I was over there a couple of years ago I found a good way to get some good snaps was to take the rail bridge over on the train, and walk back to South Queensferry over the Road Bridge. The lack of wind while on the bridge was a pleasant surprise.

I then wandered into the historic town of South Queensferry and had a look at the Museum covering the construction of the bridges and the history of the local area. The museum seemed like a jumble collection from somebody's attic (there was even a small sign asking local people to have a look in their own attics for exhibits!!).

If you feel like getting out of the cities for a while North and South Queensferry are nice little villages with some quite quaint 17 century buildings. I found the area a nice antedote to too much time spent in London!

Stu as "Stu" said...

Magnificent. And a great source of employment for the painters.
The scaffolding is a feat in engineering in itself - and a piece of art.
I agree with Joe, South Queensferry is a lovely little spot.

Peter Cresswell said...

"I agree with Joe, South Queensferry is a lovely little spot."

I seem to recall there being at least one god pub in South Queensferry...

Stu as "Stu" said...

Yes PC. One is a lovely spot with a view of the two bridges where I sat and took in the view, sipping a few pints with my sister, before ferrying out to the QE2 for a guided tour. Three great examples of engineering and ingenuity (and a few lovely 80/-'s).

Much can be worked out about a town simply by checking out it's pubs. Edinburgh is a real stunner, as are many it's outlying towns. Bamburg is another.