Tay Bridge disaster

E90093

The Tay Bridge disaster was a catastrophic 1879 railway bridge collapse in Scotland during a violent storm, killing dozens of passengers and prompting major changes in bridge engineering and safety standards.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf bridge collapse
disaster
railway accident
bridgeMaterial wrought iron
bridgeName First Tay Rail Bridge
bridgeType lattice girder bridge
cause bridge structural failure
construction defects
design flaws
high wind
inadequate maintenance
insufficient wind bracing
violent storm
consequence changes in bridge design standards
collapse of central spans of Tay Rail Bridge
loss of train and passengers into River Tay
public inquiry
reputation damage to Thomas Bouch
revisions to railway safety regulations
stricter wind loading requirements
country Scotland
date 1879-12-28
day 28
engineerOfCollapsedBridge Thomas Bouch
finding bridge was badly designed, badly built, and badly maintained
followedBy construction of second Tay Rail Bridge
impactOnField bridge engineering
railway safety
structural safety standards
investigatedBy Court of Inquiry
jurisdiction United Kingdom
locatedIn Dundee NERFINISHED
location River Tay
Tay Rail Bridge
month December
notableFor collapse of a major railway bridge during a storm
high death toll
influence on modern bridge engineering
numberOfDeaths >50
~75
partOf history of civil engineering failures
history of railway accidents in the United Kingdom
railwayCompany North British Railway
riverCrossedByBridge River Tay
timeOfDay evening
transportType railway
vehicleType passenger train
year 1879

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Firth of Tay
hasHistoricalEvent

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