The Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879
About
A well-known and documented railway disaster. The Tay Bridge disaster was a tragic event that occurred on December 28, 1879, when the central spans of the newly built Tay Rail Bridge in Scotland collapsed during a severe storm. A train carrying approximately 75 passengers and crew was crossing the bridge at the time and plunged into the icy waters of the River Tay, resulting in the loss of all aboard. The disaster shocked the nation and led to a thorough investigation that blamed the bridge's design and construction for the collapse.
Gallery
Historical Research
This reconstruction of events which happened on December 28, 1879, was a collaborative project with the Dundee Museum of Transport in 2018.
Referencing The Fall of the Tay Bridge by David Swinfen.
Design and Creation
A digital landscape was created using survey data and height maps.
3D models are created and imported into UNREAL Engine (a cross-platform game engine for creating virtual worlds). Models are textured, scaled, oriented, assembled and animated. Atmospheric lighting, weather and water settings.
Explore this Reconstruction
Team
- Authors: Sarah Kennedy, John McCaffery, Iain Oliver, Alan Miller.
- Specialist Advisors: Samantha Bannerman (Dundee Museum of Transport)