View from Forth Bridge down onto the North portal from the top of the North cantilever of the Fife erection.

Description View from Forth Bridge down onto the North portal from the top of the North cantilever of the Fife erection.

Date 31/8/1988

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

Catalogue Number SC 728324

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 3299 CN

Scope and Content North cantilever and portal, 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 the view from one of the walkways within the girders and wind bracing of the cantilevers. The stone structure in the centre of the photograph is the top of the north portal, an Aberdeen granite tower which is weighted to support one end of the cantilever. An approaching train can be seen crossing the viaduct onto the bridge. Over 4,000 men, known as 'Briggers', worked on the bridge during the seven years of construction. They lived close by the site, with its specially-built workshops, canteens and even a reading room, or arrived by special trains from further afield each day. Many had worked on the clipper ships, where they gained the confidence required to work at great heights. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/728324

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap