Detail of painters' mobile gantry resting on the parapet of the South approach viaduct. Digital image of B 3163.

Description Detail of painters' mobile gantry resting on the parapet of the South approach viaduct. Digital image of B 3163.

Date 29/8/1988

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 728289

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 3163

Scope and Content Painters' mobile gantry resting on parapet of south approach viaduct, Forth Bridge, Edinburgh and Fife The Forth Bridge was built between 1883 and 1890 to designs by engineers Sir John Fowler (1817-98) and Sir Benjamin Baker (1840-1907) with Sir William Arrol (1839-1913) and Joseph Phillips as contractors. This massive steel railway viaduct features three double cantilevers connected by girders with a total span of 2.5 km. This shows a cage on rollers called a 'wing stage', which runs along the teak rail of the parapet next to the railway track. This is used to protect the workers as they carry out maintenance. The latticed metal balustrade, known as a wind-fence, is supported by brackets fixed by rivets. In the distance can be seen one of the stone arches below its cantilever. Craig & Rose Ltd have supplied the paint for the bridge since its construction in 1890. Recent plans to coat the bridge in a glass-fibre substance were abandoned and traditional methods are being reinstated. With over 200,000 sq m to be covered, the phrase 'like painting the Forth Bridge' is often used to describe a never-ending task. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/728289

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap