American Reacts to The Forth Bridge - Scotland's Greatest Man-Made Wonder

In this video I react to the Forth Bridge which is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth located in east Scotland. The Forth Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to be the greatest man-made wonder in Scotland. After seeing how impressive this bridge is and discovering how it was made I can appreciate just how amazing this structure truly is.
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[@solatiumz]

I'm laughing as I am imagining every British person shouting "Firth of Forth!!!" at this 🤣😂

[@loobeloo]

I am

[@vinnyganzano1930]

Especially us Scots.

[@georgefuters7411]

I think you mean Scots, there's only one Firth I'm aware of in England and that's the Solway Firth (scots-english border: separating Dumfries from Cumbria) 🤔🤣😂🤣

[@johnp8131]

@@georgefuters7411 I've just found out that New Zealand has them, which with the Scottish connection is unsurprising I suppose. However, so does Denmark on the German border. I presume they were named by the Danes centuries before Germany nicked the southern bit of Denmark?

[@no-oneinparticular7264]

😂 I did 😂

[@fionamclean5706]

Scotland is just one special place, just like its people. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@achloist]

Firth of Forth, Firth means estuary basically. It crosses the River Forth.

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

aye you got the firth of clyde and the moray firth and the firth of tay. seems to be an exclusively scottish word.

[@2neutrino]

@@seedhillbruisermusic7939 indeed. comes from the Norse fjord

[@linseyyoung1772]

@@2neutrino Or more specifically, the word comes from the same linguistic root as the Norwegian word fjord.

[@mariemarie2888]

A few words that explains so well thanks 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@mariemarie2888]

@@seedhillbruisermusic7939 can I be nosy and ask is your channel named due to you being in Paisley? Seedhill road perhaps.

[@prodiver7]

Until you experience the Forth Bridge in person you cannot really appreciate how massive and awe-inspiring it is!

[@LinkTheFusky]

I was afraid of heights but just couldn't stop looking out the window

[@loopywren]

@@LinkTheFusky ,I am too but I am 81 and still have it on my bucket list. I love flying and dealt with the height issue by looking across not down, I dont see why that wouldnt work for this because you would be on a train too. Dont let your phoba stop you try to find a way. It would be so worth it.

[@avigdonable]

Is that in Queensferry next to two new bridges in Blackness bay ? Been there this Autumn while traveling, didn’t pay much attention not knowing it was so famous.

[@rozhunter7645]

@@avigdonable yes South Queensferry is one of my favourite places

[@iangregory3719]

Many years ago, 84 ish, I was in the RAF and flew up to Fife in a helicopter. The majority of the trip was standard transit flying ...a couple of thousand feet, average cruising speed, until we got to The Bridge. Dropped down to level with the deck, 100 or so yards away to the side and slow enough to wave at the train passengers. Probably not allowed these days.....Health and Safety n all that....☹️

[@gavinblack4927]

My High School overlooked this bridge. One day in my geography class (which was on the top floor and gave a great view from above the trees) I was daydreaming, swinging on my chair, staring out the window at the bridge. Next thing, the teacher, Mr Dick, starts screaming at me that I'll never get anywhere in life starting out of a window!!! I'm now a train driver and regularly drive over the Forth Bridge and it never gets boring. I get paid a lot of money to stare out of a window!! 😅

[@HeatherMyfanwyTylerGreey]

😂

[@angelaauger169]

Another great piece of (modern) Scottish engineering to check out is the Falkirk Wheel. This is a lift used to raise and lower canal boats. It is a really beautiful structure in my opinion and is so perfectly designed for its function.

[@mariafletcher6603]

Hi Angela Auger. I've never seen with my own eyes. But plenty of video's of Falkirk wheel. never been to Scotland. even tho I live in London. It's a beautiful piece of engineering. Isambard kingdom Brunel is another great engineer marval. I've all ways been fascinated in engineering since I was little. And we owe the Victorians and modem day engineers alot. for so many wonders in our lives. from 🇬🇧👍👍 an old cockney gal

[@angelaauger169]

@@mariafletcher6603 I've never been to see the Wheel either, but would love to go and see it, or be on a narrow boat and travel on it. I saw a programme on the design and build of this unique lift years ago and was fascinated by it. And I think Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a wonderful engineer. I love the photo of him stood leaning on that huge roll of chains in his very tall tap hat. The UK really has produced some wonderful engineers as well as architects, over the centuries.

[@gillfox9899]

Another tremendous piece of canal equipment is the Anderton boat lift in Cheshire. It allows for access between the Trent and Mersey canal and the River Weaver and was opened in 1875. I have been on this when we took our narrowboat onto the River Weaver for a few weeks and it is an incredible experience There are several KZbin videos about it

[@angelaauger169]

@@gillfox9899 That sounds really interesting, I'll have to look it up. I've never heard of it before & Cheshire is my old stomping ground - I was born in Chester and used to play around the canal a lot as a child.😄

[@Thursdaym2]

Forth Bridge designed by two English engineers I believe so not really Scottish engineering. ,not to denigrate all the many great Scottish engineers over the years.

[@ellenfahy6751]

There are three bridges there now. It is truly a spectacular sight seeing them side by side. Fife is the most beautiful place in the world!!

[@coot1925]

The scotts have always been great engineers. As an Englishman there's no denying it. ✌️♥️🇬🇧

[@grahamfrear9270]

Yes but it was designed by to Englishman

[@Cruithneach]

@@grahamfrear9270 Bouchy was Cumbrian, so we're happy to have him as one of our own

[@johnmaclagan2263]

@@grahamfrear9270 was the Tay bridge designed by an English man also ? It did collapse not long after completion

[@johnmaclagan2263]

@@grahamfrear9270 ha ha 😂 turns out bouchy designed the Tay Bridge as well

[@jamesrowe3606]

I.K. Brunel was no slouch either, to be fair to England.

[@VillaFanDan92]

There's a common phrase used in the UK where people say things are like "Painting the Forth Bridge" meaning a task that is never-ending and thankless - because there was a common myth that the bridge was so long that it look so long to paint, that by the time they finished painting it - it was already time to start again. Unfortunately, that's not a true story - but the phrase is still in use.

[@andrewcomerford264]

The joke is that as long as the paint holds (modern paint lasts a bit longer) it's the only maintenance the bridge needs.

[@Savagetechie]

since they changed paint 15 ish years ago its not true but for a certain period it was definitely a constant operation.. At least they had a wee cafe within the bridge structure though.

[@chrisinnes2128]

It used to take 7 years to complete the painting and by the time it was finn

[@cathyrussell7157]

I call doing my nails, tinting my roots, etc., "Painting the Forth Bridge"

[@PerryCJamesUK]

@@chrisinnes2128 by the time it was finn..... Finished, they had to start again? I'm guessing here but I think that's what you were about to write before... I hope nothing bad happened!!!

[@James-oo1yq]

I am lucky enough to see this incredible bridge out my living room window. The weather here can get really windy and rainy, and I can’t imagine building such a marvel in the 1800s.

[@simontay4851]

wow, what a treat to be able to see this every day from your living room.

[@RealJustinCrow]

Greetings from Kirkcaldy :)

[@kittyjohnstone5915]

The three bridges over the Firth of Forth at Queensferry were built in three different centuries!

[@christineharding4190]

Many years ago I heard an amusing story about an American war ship in WW2 that had orders to head for Scotland and make for the Forth Bridge. Several hours went by and eventually the ship sent a message saying they had found the Firth of Forth without any problem, but so far had only found one bridge and where were the other three. 😂😂😂

[@bukiboo9756]

I love the Forth Bridge. I may now live in the capital city of Edinburgh, but I grew up in the old capital, Dunfermline, so I have firm memories of going across this bridge from childhood. I was quite disappointed the first time though. I rather thought that it would be more of a roller coaster style ride going up and down to each peak. My 5 year old self was a little unhappy merely going straight across, hahaha

[@suemcbride1106]

I used to live at the top of the hill on the north side of the river so I saw this every day. It looks impressive in pictures but up close it’s enormous.

[@aidiess]

There are now three bridges running parallel to each other at this location ! The Most recent one is called " The Queensferry Crossing " which is a fairly recent structure, and is a road bridge. The second one is what we refer to as " The Forth Road Bridge " which was completed circa 1964. Then There's " THE BRIDGE " which is what most people locally call it ! The Forth Railway Bridge from the eighteenth century. This is the one we hold most dearly ! You can get a photograph of the three bridges together which I have done on several occasions - makes a great picture. p.s while you are on about incredible structures in Scotland, take the time to look at " The Kelpies " and " The Falkirk Wheel " - If you like engineering, you'll love these two amazing projects.

[@Noir026]

*Queensferry Crossing

[@Robr1701]

Sorry Andrew it's the Queensferry Crossing , not Queensbury.

[@mykota2417]

Smallest lighthouse in the world also underlooks them...

[@aidiess]

@@Robr1701 Yep ! I know that - slip of the brain !!

[@andypandy9013]

Nineteenth Century (1800-1899) mate, not the Eighteenth Century (1700 - 1799).

[@mikecaine3643]

Anything from the Victorian Isambard Kingdom Brunel is worth a look - He was a genius .

[@andypandy9013]

The Forth Bridge was nothing to do with IKB. He was long dead before this. Sadly. 🥺

[@mikecaine3643]

@@andypandy9013 I didn't say he was - It was asked for suggestions for other works worthy of mention i.e Anything by Isombard Kingdom Brunel seems a good choice !

[@garyhynes6574]

Oh well it's all H2O under the isambard. Eh.

[@wboyle9721]

This bridge looks a marvel when viewing it on video or a photograph it's not till your crossing it it's even more spectacular

[@bouleyloon]

I remember visiting a Survey company in Aberdeen, Scotland in the 2010's as part of my job, and noticed they had a copy of the original plans of the bridge. When I asked what they were doing with them, I was told they had recently laser surveyed the bridge for accuracy with the plans. Astonishingly the bridge was 3 inches longer than the plans and 2 inches higher. This just blew my mind as to how accurate they were in the 1880's. 😮😮

[@marymorgan8728]

My son lives in Scotland, I've travelled on this bridge many times. The experience never, ever gets old! I've used the road bridges too and, awesome as they are, there is something special about the rail bridge. On one unforgettable journey I met a man whose great grandfather worked on the bridge construction, he showed me the site where his relative's worker's cottage was situated and was able to give me so much detail about how tough the life of a construction worker was. Another great British engineer from the Victorian era was Isambard Kingdom Brunel, we're incredibly lucky so much of his work survives and is still in use. He's well worth checking out.

[@janeclarkson8471]

IKB is unbelievable. I second you: Steve MUST look at this great engineer! Also Betelgeuse (not sure of the spelling) the engineer responsible for the great London sewers following the Great Stink (right outside Parliament too)! Unbelievable!!! Take a look 👀 Steve! 👌 👏

[@gdok6088]

@@janeclarkson8471 The English civil engineer responsible for the great London sewers constructed in the 1860's was Joseph Bazalgette.

[@neilbradley5011]

Visited both banks of the Forth during winter in the early 00s.It was so cold that when I took my gloves off to take a photo my fingers were blue after a few seconds.

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

When I was a student, nearly 50 years ago, we were taken on s short tour of the bridge by the Bridge Superintendent. H&S was different in those days. Our safety equipment was an orange waist coat (US = vest) and the briefing was "Keep your eyes open for trains". We were escorted along the track bed to a hatch where we dropped down a ladder to an inspection walkway under the main deck. It was a 12" wide wood plank on strap hangers with a wood hand rail, at below waist height, on one side only. The other problem, the hand rail was rotten and missing in one part, so our hand holds were only the hangers 10' apart. What you do when young and stupid.

[@alicemilne1444]

If you're imagining the caisson technique was impressive for the 19th century, you should look up the 16th century mine shaft in Culross (pronounced Coo-russ) in Scotland. It was on the north side of the River Forth. It no longer exists now, but it was known as the Moat Pit and it was entrance to the first subsea mine shaft in Britain.

[@AttitudeCharter]

Just been out drinking and come back a bit pissed. Decided to watch this instead of The Clash or Oasis. I went to see that bridge 4 years ago whilst in Edinbirgh. Was gobsmacked at the scale and design. Your reactions to these videos is brilliant mate. I love it. Keep up the good work. Tim x (Lymington, Hampshire, England)

[@vicsams4431]

The Quebec Bridge in Canada has longer cantilever spans, but only two of them (compared to the three on the Forth Bridge) and hence is shorter end to end than the Forth Bridge. The Quebec Bridge also collapsed twice during construction with massive loss of life. The other bridge mentioned in the video is the Tay Bridge - this is the longest railway bridge in Britain at nearly 2 miles long. I have ridden trains across all three bridges, Forth, Tay and Quebec.

[@ChrisM541]

Enjoyed this reaction to my local bridge, thanks for the upload. Firth, in Scots, refers to 'coastal waters' i.e. an estuary. Firth of Forth means the estuary of the river Forth. It is the river Forth that the bridge spans, but more accurately, it's the coastal/sea waters of that river, hence the Firth of Forth. This naming scheme is common in Scotland's larger rivers e.g. Firth of Tay (the estuary of the River Tay), Firth of Clyde etc etc. The word after the "Firth of" is the river's actual name. There's an additional two bridges spanning the river Forth at this location, both road bridges, as opposed the to famous rail bridge seen here. All three are a pretty incredible sight when you see them together in the same view, but yes, the rail bridge is a wee bit bit special.

[@dbvc1]

I go over this bridge several times a week going back and forward between Fife and Edinburgh. It never gets old, the bridge is gorgeous

[@paulwilson2651]

A marvel of engineering and blessing to those that died building it.

[@IfYouCanKeepYourHead]

Thanks for reviewing our bridge, always nice to see it. There used to be a funny story that when they built the 2nd forth bridge aka the road bridge that the Edinburgh people were angry that fifers could get across, but I'd imagine that applied to the rail bridge too, but maybe they liked fifers better when the rail bridge was built haha. See below comments about the Firth of Forth. People also had to work all that out using maths properly not using computers or anything else but good old fashioned brains and some engineering tools to help the calculations, but makes it even more impressive from the time it was built. The story is well known although I imagine staying close lots of people are chuffed by the story and history but also get used to using it often so slightly less appreciated as such, but still can't but admire the impressive engineering. You have to trust the human requirement of a tragedy before things get built better. I believe it will be Dec 2036 into 2037 next time it's due to be painted, but they did spend a long time painting it about a decade I believe from like 2001 to 2011, which I used to travel a lot across the bridge in the train, seeing them painting it was very interesting and looked like you'd need balls of steel to do some of that work lol. Was cool to see them painting it, but would also make you wince at times seeing them all up there and hopefully no wind lol. Thanks again for reviewing our bridge :), I have enjoyed your videos for a while now and appreciate you covering this. I saw you were looking at some linguistics on a previous video with similarities to the south west area aka Cornish, etc.... If you want to hear any Fife the first word to learn from my other Scottish friends would advise is the word 'Ken' means you know, but is used like a sentence ending for most statements lol. Also it's called the kingdom of Fife, the language near the coast and things was influence by European / Dutch traders you see the little fishing village houses and the specific style of them that were influenced along the north east coast here. Anyhow sorry for the long spiel, I usually don't comment on anything but was just chuffed to see you cover this. Thanks. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fife www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/the-kingdom-of-fife-p238901

[@loopywren]

Thank you I enjoyed reading your comments very much.

[@IfYouCanKeepYourHead]

@@loopywren Thanks for the kind words. Hope a happy new year for you in 2023.

[@frankparsons1629]

As the others say, it is "Firth" meaning Estuary in Gaelic. "Forth" is the name of the river. Land o' wild men, Haggis, kilts n' claymores (& golf), d'ye ken laddie.😊👍The very foundations of the science of modern bridge building were laid by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) with his Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, begun in 1831 opened 1864 (after many delays) and spanning the Avon Gorge and River Avon. Also his Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall by railway and spanning the River Tamar, opened 1859. This bridge bears his name in massive letters at each end over the railway tracks as a memorial to the man. I should mention the later brick built Maidenhead Bridge over the Thames, again it was designed by the Great Western Railway Company's engineer, the noted mechanical and civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was completed in 1838, and brought into use 1st of July 1839. While it was being constructed, the innovative low-rise arches of the structure attracted considerable criticism. However, the fact that it does to this day carry the Great Western Railway line carrying locomotives hauling trains some ten times heavier than those of Brunel's day proves that he was a talented and competent engineer and had a complete understanding of engineering and construction. As witness his ground breaking ship the Great Western (maiden voyage 1838), also the Great Britain (1843) which may be seen today in dry dock Bristol, and later his Great Eastern. His last two ships were at the time of building the largest ships in the world. The Great Eastern at 700ft length and completed in 1859 was not surpassed in size and tonnage until ships such as the (1912) Titanic at 882ft, were built. We are a nation of civil engineers and all these great engineering works and ships enabled the advancement of our Nations infrastructure, and also abroad particularly the construction of railways as early as the mid 1800s. Bear witness Morton Peto, (Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet 4 August 1809 - 13 November 1889); he was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer. For many years he was the largest employer of labour in the entire world. With his cousin he founded a business as an independent railway contractor, and frequently worked in partnership with Thomas Brassey who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. Bridges and Railways, world-wide!

[@2neutrino]

Pretty certain it's just a Scots word coming from the Norse 'fjord'

[@gsnmeyer]

absolutely correct Firth is a cognate of fjord, a Norse word meaning a narrow inlet.

[@christopherbarnett6098]

Very true about those "wild men" you mentioned. I've been out drinking in the middle of Glasgow, as the 1 solitary Englishman, when England beat Scotland at Murrayfield in 1991, for the first time in 7yrs. Great night. A Great Bevvy. But you forgot about Scotlands beautiful women. Complexions like clear milk. Peace out.

[@johnp8131]

@@2neutrino I've just found out that New Zealand has them, which with the Scottish connection is unsurprising I suppose. However, so does Denmark on the German border. I presume they were named by the Danes centuries before Germany nicked the southern bit of Denmark?

[@paulinemaclellan8204]

Firth is a word that describes a river where it widens to meet the sea. There is the firth of Tay, the Solway firth etc. The confusion comes only with the Firth of Forth where the River Fourth sounds like a number as does the term firth

[@helenbailey8419]

This was so informative.I have seen documentaries about the Forth Bridge,this added more.Excellent.

[@evelynwilson1566]

The Firth is the Scottish word for estuary. I live about 20 miles away at the beginning of the Firth. The River is the Forth . It's a fascinating river - the Firth is very important as a seabird habitat and crossing the Firth of Forth was exceptionally difficult due to the 'leaky tide', so invading armies headed for the ancient crossing at Stirling leading to nation-defining battles. Make no mistake, the Firth of Forth is dangerous, the people who built that bridge were incredibly brave.

[@fis0]

Just found your channel this past week and love seeing you react to stuff from my home country, you seem like a great guy all out

[@neilrobinson1666]

It’s amazing to see your reaction, as I see this bridge everyday and probably take it for granted and forget how incredible it is!

[@Sharon-bo2se]

Great bridge! Love going over it. The tide below in the estuary is second only to the Bay of Fundy. It is a very satisfying structure on so many levels. There is an impressive suspension bridge for cars upstream. Look up the Falkirk Wheel. Fascinating to watch.

[@andrewwhite3793]

The bridge is used by trainee engineers all over the world to study bridge construction as I was told it was over engineered so it won't fail anytime soon. There used to to be a squad of painters who painted from one end to another then started all over again. Today new modern paints means it gets a new coat every 10 years

[@patriciaewing8164]

My Great Grandfather was a rigger (Brigger) on the Forth Railway Bridge… So he helped build the bridge with no safety gear of any kind. Children as young as 10 years old were also helping build the bridge. At the peak of work, about 4,600 men were employed in building the Forth Bridge. They were known as 'the Briggers'. It was long said that 57 died during the building of the bridge, although recent research by local historians indicated 73 would be a more accurate figure. The youngest casualty may have been 13-year-old rivet catcher David Clark. Some time about midday on Thursday 13 September 1888 he missed his footing and fell over 150ft, his body bouncing off the ironwork. He died instantly from a fractured spine and skull. The oldest victim of a serious accident that the team identified was 67-year-old Thomas Sinclair, who fell 50ft from the scaffolding. He broke his left leg and dislocated his right knee joint as well as suffering severe internal injuries. His accident is likely to have ended his working life…

[@bpf5666]

A lot of your confusion would have been resolved if you had googled the Firth of Forth whilst watching the video.

[@supersparks9466]

How could he google Firth if he thought is was first

[@Sophie.S..]

@@supersparks9466 Still comes up with the Firth of Forth

[@johnp8131]

Been over it a couple of times, impressive! There are documentaries of it being serviced too, pretty much a continuous job. Think the first time I saw it on film was back in the sixties as a kid, watching the 1935 Hitchcock film, 'The 39 Steps'?

[@comedywriter8408]

I lived in South Queensferry for a year. And no matter how close I lived to this bridge and seeing it many times daily, it never failed to impress me the engineering and construction of this massive structure. And even more impressive that is still in use today.

[@Mugtree]

Glad you like it. This is in the area I’m from. My Aunt and Uncle’s house over look’s this and we lived close by. As a child I was fascinated by this bridge and still am. It’s amazing

[@mmckenzie8085]

When I was younger we would go to South Queensferry a lot as we lived in Edinburgh. It used to be lucky to throw pennies from the trains so we would go onto the beach and hunt for them. This really has made me feel quite nostalgic. I always thought it looked amazing even as a little girl. I can remember when the Forth Road Bridge opened. Prior to this one used a ferry to cross.

[@EnigmaStar153]

Great video - when I was wee I thought the Train went up and down the structure ! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😎🌍

[@alanbobbymcguire5099]

I live a couple of miles away from South Queensferry and can see the bridge out my bedroom window. It still takes your breath away. Amazing bit of construction.

[@DavidWardle]

This is 5 minutes from me and is lit up at night, I see the light from my garden . I used to go fishing under it. still an amazing sight and there are now 3 bridges right in the same area, two road bridges and the rail one

[@WilliamWallace42]

I live in Fife about a 15 minute drive away from the bridge and been on it many times

[@alicetwain]

I suggest you look up something about the Eurostar tunnel, the tunnel that connects the UK with France and Belgium.

[@geoffpoole483]

Steve, you might be interested in Cilfton suspension bridge which is in Bristol. Ironbridge is the cradle of the industrial revolution and you'll probably find that interesting too.

[@SavageIntent]

There are three bridges near each other across the Forth, one from the 19th century, one from the 20th, and one from the 21st. It's cool to see them all together from different eras.

[@rogermann9835]

In Scots English a Firth is an estuary -- this one is the estuary of the River Forth (aka the Forth River) and its tributaries.The bridge itself is called the Forth Bridge. Notice Forth is a name and not a number! Something that Simon does not mention is that for many years the Forth Bridge was the only one in the world on which trains did not have to slow down when crossing it. Whether that is still the case in this era of heavier and faster trains I don't know.

[@JSandwich13]

It's not Scots English. It's just Scots. Scots is a language that evolved separately from modern English.

[@alicemilne1444]

@@JSandwich13 That's right. The word "firth" is not an English word.

[@pspence9569]

It's just Scots. Firth derives from the same Norse word a fjord, fjoeror. Nothing English about it.

[@broontroosers]

Trains do slow down to cross these days

[@broontroosers]

​@@alicemilne1444 those living near the Solway Firth might disagree!

[@ianlove1215]

Until a few years ago, when they developed better paint, there was an expression: Painting the Forth Bridge. It was used to describe a never ending job as it took so long to paint the bridge, by the time the task was done you had to restart

[@johnjohnstone1618]

I have driven railway machines across this bridge.... that was awesome !!!

[@deanallan5405]

As some one who has gone over the 3 bridges you kind of forget the importance they have when you had to keep your fingers crossed the bridges were open in bad weather or it would turn into multiple hour detour just to get home when it was just the 2 bridges. I also had the pleasure of seeing the process of the Queensferry crossing being constructed on my daily commute. 3 bridges in 3 different centuries.

[@kumasenlac5504]

The vehicle bridge opened in 1964 lasted into the start of the 21st century when it had to be replaced. It was downgraded to pedestrian and cycle use.

[@harveyneedleman817]

Kumasenlac , the Forth road bridge has now been repaired and is used by emergency services, public transport and vehicles not allowed on the queensferry crossing. It is also the diversionary route use when the queensferry crossing has to be closed. New automatic barriers have been fitted on the roads on both sides of the bridges have been fitted recently to this. facilitate

[@kathwallace1811]

It is truly a sight to behold 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@blondeenigma3882]

Travelling between England and Scotland up the east coast it's awesome going over it on the train !

[@paulamanderson6424]

I was born and brought up in the wee village north Queensferry that he mentions at the beginning ..the bridge was our view out of the living room window ..it's a beautiful sight 😍

[@agnesmazs5008]

As someone who sees the forth bridge everyday it never gets old and when coming home from visiting family in England we always know we are home when we see the bridge

[@JD.78]

I used to work laying tar on the Forth Road Bridge many years ago and would always marvel at how long and beautiful the sight of the Forth Rail Bridge was just down the river. I once watched a massive Oil Tanker pass underneath the Forth Road Bridge which took several minutes to pass by, and kept watching as it continued onwards to pass under the Forth Rail Bridge. An unforgettable sight indeed. Great video, cheers.

[@Wordavee1]

One of the best views is standing on the shore between the bridges, seeing them towering above you, stretching out over the Firth.

[@mykota2417]

Saw it fir the 1st time myself just b4 xmas...tgeres 3 massive bridges there. Spectacular sight to see when u visit Edinburgh especially from the lighthouse...

[@eyesofisabelofficial]

A widely used saying for a never ending task is "It's like painting the Forth bridge" It takes about seven years to paint it, and when one reaches the far end it all has to start again.

[@peterdurnien9084]

I have travelled over the bridge Edinburgh to south. Fantastic views.

[@Deekm69]

Hi Steve did you there was 3 bridges next to each other now, 2 Road and a Rail, I can see them from my house. I've watched all of your videos. Keep up the great viewing buddy!

[@davidgarland4928]

There is something else this gentleman would like to know about the Firth of Forth. It has 3 bridges within 1 mile and this site is unique. It is the only place in the world that has 3 bridges that were built in 3 different century's and is also a Unesco world heritage site. Forth Railway bridge 1882 Forth Road Bridge 1964 Queensferry crossing 2017

[@daveaglasgow]

It starts at south queensferry, which is actually part of Edinburgh, and crossed to north Queensferry. In Scotland we call an estuary a firth, the river further upstream is called the river forth, therefore once it enters the sea it becomes a forth untill it leaves land behind on both sides.

[@user-gt2ud2gw9e]

Don't forget, all such old bridges are rail bridges. Another breath-taker is the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon with Cornwall.

[@zeroone5097]

Thanks for the vid Steve , another marvel to behold in these great lands , as another subscriber suggested the Falkirk wheel , I have taken a look and its amazing please check this out .

[@mariafletcher6603]

Hi Steve. Check out Isambard kingdom Brunel. Was a British civil engineer. Considered one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history. Born 9/4/1806. Died. 15/9/1859. Aged 53. Westminster london England. From 🇬🇧👍👍 an old cockney gal.

[@harryishatless]

You've made me think. I used to cross that bridge everyday when I lived in Dunfermline and worked in Edinburgh. I have probably been over the bridge hundreds of times. It never occurred to me that I was relying on such ancient technology.

[@patriciaewing8164]

During the seven years of construction, the work was carried out from almost 100 feet below the surface of the water to over 300 feet above the surface.. The bridge was painted continuously, they would start at one end and paint it then start again. Until a firm painted it saying it would last 25 years but has been noted that the paint is deteriorating in under 10 years…

[@daveturner6006]

Its the FIRTH of Forth. Forth is the name of the river. 'Firth' I THINK means estuary. Both words are Scots language words.

[@kinleyfulton5446]

The forth bridge is amazing I have crossed it many times it is beautiful when u look off the bridge and look in the water

[@allanmcinnes4765]

I remember as a child (I'm 71) throwing pennies from the steam train into the Forth as we crossed the bridge an route to our annual holiday in Kinghorn. You could open the train windows back then. I even threw off my dead goldfish in a matchbox for a burial at sea!. What larks eh!

[@Kakascrot]

I can see the tay rail bridge from my kitchen window, I often stop to think what may be left down there from the disaster

[@grahamlive]

In Scotland, what you may call an estuary is known as a firth. Hence the "Firth of Forth". We also have the Firth of Tay, the Moray Firth, The Cromarty Firth, the Dornoch Firth, The Firth of Clyde, the Solway Firth and a few other smaller ones.

[@TicketyBoo.]

I can see the Forth Bridges from where i'm sitting right now - at home 🙂

[@jontuck2610]

I'm impressed not only with the engineering but also with the project management that must have been involved back then before computers etc. Probably an army of clerks to source materials and so on...

[@tonyeden2944]

Steve, many many cruise ships include Edinburgh on their itinerary but the city itself does not have a cruise terminal. These ships anchor in the Firth (estuary) and visitors go by ship's tender to one of two small towns on the south side of the Firth, South Queensferry and Newquay - tenders to the latter sail beneath the bridge. From t here they go by road into Edinbugh.

[@ABPhotography1]

Hope you can visit and get a photo taken of you with the bridge in the background.

[@Lulubelle123]

The presenter of the video was speaking so quickly!! When I was a child I used to think the train went over the top of the bridge like a roller coaster!! The 3 bridges over the Forth are beautiful when you see all 3 of them together

[@epicgamer748]

I've been across the bridge multiple times from fife. it's truly an amazing bridge

[@LinkTheFusky]

I've been over it going to Aberdeen by train its so high up i had to look away cause I'm afraid of heights but it's BEAUTIFUL edit: according to wikipedia "Firth is a word in the English and Scots languages used to denote various coastal waters in the United Kingdom, predominantly within Scotland. In the Northern Isles, it more often refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to fjord, which has a more constrained sense in English" so firth is another word in Scotland to refer to a river that meets an ocean and forth refers to the river that is attached to the firth in which the bride was built on

[@loopywren]

Thank you, I am reassured the beauty will help with the height issue.

[@thelastpilot4582]

Years ago when I crossed the old road bridge near the rail bridge. There was a hotel or restaurant on the north side. Here they had a mock up of that original demonstration the two engineers sat on. You could sit people on it and take their photos if you wanted. I do not know if it is still there.

[@johnnybeer3770]

Steve checkout the engineer " Isambard Kingdom Brunel " probably Britains greatest engineer . There are a lot of videos of his achievements 🇬🇧

[@broontroosers]

By the way, there's now a third bridge to Fife over the firth of Forth.

[@TheMadmacs]

i flew at the forth rail bridge with an fpv drone, to stand at the foot of this bridge is truly breathtaking, 400feet high a mile and a half long. i start the vid with a view from inside the train and then sit below it waiting for the courage to fly it with an fpv drone, (manual, no return to home)

[@helenbailey8419]

You can see why Fred Dibnah had such respect for the people who designed and worked on this bridge.

[@petersymonds4975]

Hello Steve. Before we had the railways we had started the Industrial Revolution but horses and carts just was not good enough to carry goods around the country. They started building canals because one horse could tow a boat of cargo quicker and easier than a team of horses and a cart trying to carry goods. There many miles of canal, some have long gone but there is still nearly 2000 miles of navigable rivers & canals in the UK. A few still carry commercial traffic but most are now for recreational use. One of the busiest is probably the Llangollen Canal, 46 miles from Shropshire, England to Llangollen, Wales. Through Llangollen passes the River Dee and the usual way to cross a river is a flight of locks. This time they decided to build an aqueduct, Thomas Telford built it for the Canal Company, this is an inedible sight to behold, the aqueduct is 373 feet in length about 7 ft in width and crosses the River Dee at 126 foot. The aqueduct is in a village called Pontcysllte near Wrexham, North Wales and carried Narrow Boats of 7ft beam and up to 70ft in length and before internal combustion engines were invented the boat was horse drawn to the canals had towpaths. Not to be outdone the aqueduct had a towpath on one side, nothing, not even a fence or railing on the other side. Here is a copy of one of the many You Tube films kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5m7aJqBlqZ_bZY if you can’t follow the link try searching “pontcysllte aqueduct”. Oh, the aqueduct was completed in 1795 and like the Forth Bridge is Grade 1 listed. Now controlled by a government organisation called C A R T, the Canal & River Trust.

[@frglee]

At 2512m long x 156m high, the Forth rail bridge is like eight Eiffel Towers laid on their sides😀 (Eiffel tower is 330m high x 125m base)

[@22mdh6]

Firth of Fourth, it is beautiful, photo does not do it justice. Been over that many times, breathtaking.

[@slw147]

This even today is one of the very few bridges in the world that does not have a speed restriction. Many bridges built for railways at this time have speed restrictions of less than 30mph.

[@shymike]

I'm sure it does! Can't go across it at 125mph!

[@simontay4851]

Even though it doesn't have a speed restriction, i bet some train drivers slow down anyway so the passengers can get a good look at the bridge.

[@davidhughes4890]

My neighbour was the chief engineer and Bridgemaster for the Forth Road Bridge and always had some great stories. He lives in Philadelphia now.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

In the old days it was a considerable diversion to get to the other side. In medieval times the capital was Dunfermline and the royal court would want to travel to Edinburgh. It was a journey of 21 miles to Stirling Bridge then 40 miles to Edinburgh. This is why there are stopping off points such as Linlithgow Palace and Stirling Castle. Then in the 11th century Queen Margaret initiated a ferry at the narrowest part of the Firth of Forth. This ferry worked between what became Queensferry and North Queensferry. That’s where in 1882 construction started on the Forth Bridge which was completed in 1890. The ferry continued until 1964 when the Forth Road Bridge was opened. In Queensferry you can still visit the chapel used by travellers to give thanks for a safe crossing. The current Priory Church was founded around 1440

[@grantedmonston1]

The river the bridge crosses is the Firth of Forth. Locally it's just called The Forth. Currently there are three bridges, one rail, the Forth Road Bridge and the newest being called the Queensferry Crossing.

[@TheMightyAtom76]

The Forth is the River it's called the FIRTH OF FORTH ,I was lucky enuf to be part of the team the built the new crossing ,The Queensferry Crossing along side both the Forth rail bridge and fourth road bridge you should check that one out also ,loving your videos mate

[@Puckoon2002]

There is a saying, in the UK, when talking about a never ending job, "It's like painting the Forth Bridge." Up until recently the bridge, because of it's location, had to be painted, either bright red, as in the video, or Red Oxide, a sort of dull red, it was a case of the painters would start at one end and work their way across to the other end, by which time first end was in need of repainted. A few years ago the started using a new, more durable formula paint, said to last for 20 years IIRC.

[@76ludlow]

It is called the Forth Bridge because it spans the River Forth, at a point known as the Firth of Forth, with Firth being a word describing an inlet or a bay. Scotland has several of these firths on its coastline: for instance the Solway Firth, the Moray Firth, the Firth of Tay, the Pentland Firth (which is more a channel than a bay), the Firth of Clyde, the Firth of Lorn, and of course the Firth of Forth.

[@monza1002000]

Another good bridge to check out is the Bristol Suspension Bridge. When it was built it push the boundaries of what was possible and like the Firth of Forth Bridge is still impressive to see today

[@Jay92925]

They never stop painting it. Once they get to the end, they go back to the beginning and start over

[@rankinlas]

I grew up just along the road in Burntisland and have been over it a billion times. I still marvel at its ingenuity and beauty. It really is a wonder.