Tay Bridge

The first Tay Bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Bouch (1822-1880), carried the North British Railway (now the East Coast Main Line) across the Firth of Tay between Wormit in Fife and Dundee, Scotland, and was opened on 1 June 1878 by Queen Victoria. On the night of Sunday 28 December 1879, during a violent gale, part of the bridge collapsed, precipitating a crossing train into the waters below with the loss of more than 75 lives.

The event was commemorated by the Scottish poet William Topaz McGonagall, in his poem The Tay Bridge Disaster.

The Tay Bridge was rebuilt to a stronger design and opened on 13 July 1887. It remains in service; piers from the earlier bridge can be seen as one crosses.