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Celebrating the Forth Rail Bridge’s 130th birthday

One hundred and thirty years ago today, the Forth Rail Bridge was officially opened to rail traffic.

To mark the occasion, pupils from Echline School in South Queensferry put the finishing touches to a Lego model of the bridge at the Queensferry Visitor Centre with the rail bridge in the background.

The total cost for constructing the bridge was estimated to be £3.2million, funded by Midland Railway (32.5%), North British Railway (30%), North Eastern Railway (18.75%) and Great Northern Railway (18.75%).

The bridge was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker and built by Sir William Arrol & Co in Glasgow.

10 year olds Lewis Aitchison and Olivia Ferguson with the Lego bridge (Photo: Tony Marsh)

The 8,094ft-long railway bridge was first tested and used in January 1890, where two 1,000ft-long trains consisting of a locomotive with 50 wagons each passed across the bridge side-by-side through the south entrance.

The Forth Rail Bridge was finally commissioned in March 4 1890.

The bridge is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and continues to be significant engineering structure from the Victorian era. The bridge is now owned by Network Rail.

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