Thursday 5 March 2015

Steeling the Limelight



    On the 4th of  March the Forth Rail Bridge celebrated its 125th birthday and it's still looking remarkable for its age. Although, I do have to admit that I find the journey across the bridge a little on the scary side, however the190-200 trains that travel across this bridge daily makes links to the North of Scotland much easier. Unlike me, most passengers do sit back and admire the breathtaking views over the Firth of Forth and tourists flock to take the journey from Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, into the Kingdom of Fife by this mode of transport.


    On the 16th October 1939 the first German air raid of the Second World War took place here, but luckily the 8000 feet (approx) structure was unscathed and as part of the celebrations this year a spitfire was flown over it, on the 4th. Whilst war isn't something to always celebrate, it's part of the bridge's history and unfortunately we can't undo history.


    This cantilever style bridge, took over 8 years to construct and used 10 times more steel than the Eiffel Tower in the build; so no wonder it has featured in the movies. One of the most famous scenes being in Hitchcock's, 39 Steps and in more recent times it has played a part in, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, by Rockstar North and Rockstar Games. It demonstrates that age is no barrier in, stealing the limelight.


P.S I didn't make a typo in the title!

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