Mr Alex White, Forth Bridge Inspector, on the North cantilever of the Fife erection.

Description Mr Alex White, Forth Bridge Inspector, on 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 728327

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 3236

Scope and Content Mr Alex White, Bridge Inspector, on the north side of the Fife cantilever, 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 Bridge Inspector standing on the sloping riveted steel surface of the cantilever arm. To the left is a walkway protected by cables leading to the other side of the cantilever. Access to this point is via another walkway within the girders, just visible between the cross-bracings (centre left). Over 4,000 men, known as 'Briggers', worked on the bridge during the seven years of construction. They lived close to 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/728327

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap