THIS PAINTING IS SOLD.

Despite there being larger bridges, longer bridges and higher bridges the Forth Railway Bridge never fails to awe on first sight with its massive tubular spans and lattice of steel.

Work began in 1883 and the bridge was opened in 1890, and is immensely strong, at least twice as strong as necessary because the civil engineering profession had adopted a better safe than sorry approach after the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879.
This generous over-designing, good workmanship and the use of only the very best materials available at the time have contributed to the bridge’s trouble-free life of nearly 120 years, a lesson perhaps that could be looked at today. One wonders what the bridge would look like if built today, designed by a computer, built by a contractor with the lowest tender and with some accountant responsible for the purchase of raw materials.

One could perhaps also say that Scammell’s lorries were a little over-engineered but a Scammell 8 could still manage the payload of its cheaper rivals and its basic design was so sound that it altered little over 25 years.

This view shows a Scammell 8 with a very interesting load leaving the ferry that conveyed road vehicles over the Firth of Forth before the opening of the present road bridge in 1964 half a mile upstream, which incidentally already has problems due to lack of foresight in its construction and design.

A painting like this of your favourite vehicle, British or American, in oils on canvas or board would cost about £1500.

E-mail mike@transportartist .co.uk or ring 07884462140 to commission your own unique work of art by one of Britain’s leading transport artists.

Please remember this image is my property and protected by copyright law.