| 1840 - Expansion of the railways 1849 - Thomas Bouch became manager and engineer of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway (became the North British Railway Company in 1862) 1850 - Complete success of the floating railway used in the ferry 1854 - Bouch designed the first plan for the bridge 1862 - Idea for a bridge re-opened by the Chairman Richard Hodgeson 1863 - Caledonian .V. North British Railway Company 1869 - Patrick Matthew advised of the problems of any bridge scheme: water erosion of foundations, collision by ship, earthquake, speed of trains could destabilise the bridge, etc. 1869 - Ground investigation carried out by Jessie Wylie 1870 - Patrick Matthew died 1871 - First foundation stone laid (22.07.1871) by Charles de Bergue & Co. Engineers 1873 - Charles de Bergue died 1873 - Hopkins, Gilkes & Co. appointed engineers 1873 - Discovered Jessie Wylie’s investigations not accurate 1877 - The Bridge opened (26.09.1877) 1878 - The Bridge official opening (meant to be Queen Victoria but was James Cox) 31.05.1878 1878 - Scheduled passenger rail service began (01.06.1878) 1878 - The Queen travelled over the bridge to Balmoral (end June) 1879 - Gale of about 10-11 on the Beaufort Scale (16:00 on 28.12.1879) 1879 - 13 Central spans of the rail bridge over the Tay between Wormit and Dundee fell into the river (17:15 on Sunday 28.12.1879) 1879 - The 17:20 train from Bruntisland carrying 75 passengers and crew fell into the river leaving no survivors 1880 - First Board of Enquiry: with Mr J. Trayner for the Board of Trade, and Mr J.B. Balfour for the North British Railway Company (03.01.1880) 1880 - Enquiry resumed after collection of evidence and witnesses (26.02.1880) 1880 - Trayner revealed the incompetence of Fergus Ferguson – Foundry worker, Frank Beattie, and Gerrit Camphuis of de Bergues. Henry Noble assistant of Bouch also found lacking in the skills required to do his job 1880 - Verdict: failure in design, manufacture and construction (June 1880) 1880 - Bouch died of the pressure of being held responsible for the tragedy (30.10.1880) 1887 - New bridge completed |
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Trayner Family Web Site web site born 12.02.2002, last updated 27.10.2004 by Tanya Vivienne Trayner |
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Tay Bridge Disaster 28.12.1879 |
| The Railway Age started with attempts to make a steam engine small enough to be fitted to a wagon for hauling coal at collieries, the wheels moving on a wooden or iron rail for guidance. Improvements to the drive mechanism led directly to the designing of the ‘Locomotion’ by George Stephenson. The first passenger and goods service for the 27 miles between Stockton and Darlington in County Durham was opened in 1825.This was followed in 1830 with a line between Manchester and Liverpool, but the opening saw the first railway fatality: a local MP, Mr Huskisson, who was run down by the locomotive ‘Rocket’.Both railways were an immediate success, allowing raw materials and manufactures to be transported much faster than by canal. Their popularity with the public was great, both for leisure and work. The railway network expanded fast, although the greatest period of expansion occurred a little later, when railway mania took hold in the 1840s. The Tay Bridge was designed by Thomas Bouch. To allow shipping to pass up the Tay to Perth, a clearance of about 88 feet was required between the bridge girders and the high water mark in the middle of the firth. On the south bank, at Wormit, the land rose steeply to a height of about 200 feet, and this proved ideal as a jumping-off point for the bridge.After leaving the bank on a short curve, the track climbed gradually at 1 in 490 until it reached pier 29. It then ran level to pier 36. After passing pier 37 the track fell rapidly at 1 in 74, until it reached the north bank at Dundee. At pier 53, the track entered a large, sweeping curve that took it alongside the bank and down to a height of about 40 feet above high water. The overall length of the bridge from bank to bank was over 2 miles, which at the time made it by far the longest bridge in the world. |
| As a result of the inquiry into the Tay Bridge disaster, several measures were put into place: · All Bouch's bridges were examined and reinforced or rebuilt. · Steel was approved by the Board of Trade for use in bridges. Designs using cast iron columns were barred. · Regular and frequent inspections of bridges were made during and following construction by Board of Trade personnel. · A new Tay Bridge was built adjacent and parallel to the original bridge reusing undamaged girders with some modifications. The new bridge is over twice the width to allow double rail tracks and greater lateral stability. Piers in the centre were built from wrought iron lattice work and steel. Original pier platforms were retained to act as breakwaters for the new bridge. New piers were tested by static loading for settlement. The building was started in 1881 and finished in 1885. · Contract for the new Forth bridge with Bouch as designer was re-assigned to Fowler, Benjamin Baker and Arrol. This had a cantilever design built in steel. It was started in 1883 and finished in 1890. · A Royal Commission on "Wind Pressure on Railway Structures" was set up in 1881. Members of the Commission included W H Barlow, G G Stokes and W Yolland. An extensive survey of wind speeds and pressures using anemometers was undertaken at numerous locations. Examples of overturned carriages by wind action were examined. A maximum wind pressure of 56 per square foot for design of bridges and rules for applying this specification to bridges of different construction were recommended. |
| email: tvtrayner@yahoo.co.uk |
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| Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!Alas! I am very sorry to sayThat ninety lives have been taken away,On the last Sabbath day of 1879Which will be remember'd for a very long time.William McGonagall, 1880 |