Thomas Bouch

Sir Thomas Bouch (* February 25, 1822 in Thursby, † October 30, 1880 in Moffat, Scotland ) was known as the engineer of the Firth of Tay Bridge, for the construction of which he was knighted.

Life

His father was a clerk in a commercial house. His son, Thomas got his first education imparted in domestic Thursby, before he spent at a private school in the near Carlisle several years. With 17 years of life, he opted for the profession as a technical designer, by beginning an apprenticeship with the engineers Lomar and Errington. These two designers worked for Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, which operated in Carlisle a branch. With the completion of the teaching Bouch was so competent that he could immediately take over the management of a building team. The time of his activity lay in a unexpected construction of railway lines, which he spent mainly on smaller routes in northern England. In 1840 he was busy with the construction of the Weardale Railway, then he became chief designer of the Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee - line.

The estuaries of the Forth and Tay presented a disconnection for continuous railway dar. all luggage had to time-consuming of the railway on a steamer and then zurückverladen again. Here Bouch immediately saw the opportunity for improvement. After much difficulty he solved the problem by using a hydraulic suspension scaffold. So now it was possible to load the railway carriage on board the steamer. His idea was soon adapted and was the basis for similar processes in the world.

Bouch now left the North British Railway Company to make with his knowledge and reputation in the railway sector for their own account transactions. He was particularly successful: in the meantime better traction locomotives made ​​it possible to build closer curve radii, so that less artificial structures such as tunnels or bridges were needed who were responsible for particularly high cost of railway construction. The implementation of these plans brought him considerable profit.

In addition, Bouch worked very intensively with the construction of elegant, light bridges. Many of the buildings proved its success. Soon were design drawings before viaducts for the Forth and Taymündungen, which was arranged for him under " unrealized possibility," but you could quite give up the loading of railroad cars. This design was to be his fate, you walked with her in many ways uncharted territory: Just the length, but also weather conditions of wind and sea currents were new challenges. Multiple plans have been changed, but finally the bridge was inaugurated in 1877 with great interest of the population.

One and a half years, the building held the forces of nature was, until during a heavy storm of railway accident on the Firth of Tay Bridge occurred. The central portion collapsed along with a moving train into the sea, all 75 occupants died. Bouch recovered from this tragedy, no more, he died within a year after the accident.

Works

In addition to the construction of numerous railway lines, the invention of RO-RO ferries and many other improvements in the railway sector are mainly bridge constructions in his earnings:

• Hownes Gill Viaduct (1858 )
• Newcastle Bridge ( 1871)
• Redheugh Bridge ( 1870)
• Tay Bridge, Firth of (1877 )

The planning of the Forth Bridge is part of his heritage, even if it the execution of construction had been revoked after the collapse of the Tay Bridge.