Forth Bridge (railway)

:For the nearby road bridge, see Forth Road Bridge.

Painting the Forth Bridge

Although modern trains put fewer stresses on the bridge than the earlier steam trains, the bridge needs constant maintenance. "Painting the Forth bridge" is a colloquial term for a never-ending task (a modern rendering of the myth of Sisyphus), coined on the erroneous belief that there was forever a time in the history of the bridge when repainting was required and commenced immediately upon finishing the last repainting job. According to a 2004 New Civil Engineer report on contemporary maintenance, such a practice never existed, although it is the case that under British Rail management, and before, the bridge had a permanent maintenance crew.

Related Topics:
Sisyphus - New Civil Engineer - British Rail

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A contemporary repainting of the bridge commenced with a contract award in 2002, for a schedule of work expected to continue until March 2009, involving the application of 20,000 m2 of paint at a cost estimate of £10M a year. This new coat of paint is expected to have a life of 20 years which should see the bridge free from painters for a good few years.

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