Media centre

Thursday 21 Jun 2007

NEW £20 NOTE GOES FORTH

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

The Forth Bridge is to cement its status as one of Scotland's most iconic landmarks today when it becomes the new 'face' of the Bank of Scotland £20 note. The Forth Bridge, which is commonly regarded as the world's finest example of a cantilever bridge, has featured on British currency only once before, in 2004, when its image was used on the one pound coin. The image of the Forth Bridge has a proven record as a popular cultural icon. From Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film, The 39 Steps, to Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Forth Bridge's appeal has spanned decades. The bridge even became a symbol of charitable support in 2005 when it was lit up red for Comic Relief. Network Rail's Chairman, Ian McAllister commented: "The Forth Bridge is a magnificent structure, a symbol of lasting strength and one of the world's great landmarks. Network Rail is proud to be the guardian of the bridge today and it is fitting that this icon of Scotland will now appear on the £20 bank note. "At Network Rail, we regard the Forth Bridge as a jewel at the heart of the rail network and we have strived hard to ensure that the bridge is protected for generations to come. The Victorian engineers who designed and built the bridge could never have realised that the bridge would remain so iconic and so celebrated over 117 years after it was completed." ENDS
Forth Bridge facts Age of Bridge: Opened 1890 (117 years old) Length of Bridge Overall: 2,467 metres Main structure (portal to portal): 1,630 metres Height of Bridge High water to top: 110 metres Foundation to top: 137 metres Materials Weight of steel in bridge: 53,000 tonnes Number of rivets: 6.5 million Concrete and masonry in piers: 120,000 cubic yards faced with 2ft thick granite Operational information Number of trains per day: 150 Number of passenger trains per year: 3 million Tonnes of freight per year: 8 million Painting the bridge Painting area: 230,000 sq metres Lighting the bridge: Total number of lights installed: 1040 lights Length of cabling required: 35,000 – 40,000 metres History 1873 Thomas Bouch's first design for a suspension bridge across the Forth presented 1879 Bouch's design for the Forth Bridge abandoned following Tay Bridge disaster 1882 Design submitted by John Fowler and Benjamin Baker approved 1883 Construction of Fowler and Baker's cantilever structure began 1885 Last caisson launched 1886 Pier foundations completed 1887 Three towers completed 1889 Cantilevers completed 1890 Bridge formally opened by Prince of Wales on 4 March 1890

• 57 lives were lost during the construction of the Forth Bridge
• At the height of its construction, more than 4,000 men were employed

The contruction of the bridge resulted in an unbroken East Coast railway route from London to Aberdeen.



Forth Bridge maintenance Network Rail has a base at the Forth Bridge and interacts on a daily basis with all main and sub-contractors. Contractors: Our main contractor is Balfour Beatty of Edinburgh who in turn have engaged four main sub-contractors - Pyeroy of Newcastle specialists in painting, SGB of Grangemeouth specialists in scaffolding, McGregor Energy Services Ltd of Alness specialists in steel repairs and Palmers of Bo'Ness who facilitate for all three activities Currently 160 people work on the Bridge on a daily basis – many of whom are locally based. Scope of the Works:

• The painting process involves erecting scaffold access systems and screening the area to be panted to prevent debris affecting or contaminating the surrounding environment.

· Old paint is removed using an abrasive blasting preparation and the steel coated with an industrial protective coating system.

• The paint used to coat the bridge is a specialist glass flake epoxy paint, similar to that used in the offshore oil industry and designed to last at least 20 years (W.J.Leigh of Derby is the supplier of this specialist paint)

• Repairs and replacement of walkways including the installation of new walkways and catwalks to allow for access to the works and to assist in the examination of the bridge.

• Steel repairs - replacing small localised sections of steel where required

Painting Method:

• Essentially each section to be painted is surrounded by scaffolding and then encased in a film like material. (by Envirowrap)

• The purpose of this is to capture all the debris from the removal of the old paint and from any steel repair work. This also provides a protected environment within which coatings can be applied and allowed to cure.

• We are very conscious of all our environmental responsibilities and have imposed stringent control measures to make sure we are protecting the surrounding environment – and the Firth of Forth – from any contamination.

• After thorough cleaning paint is applied both by airless spray and by hand in areas of particularly difficult access.

• Our first priority is safety of our own workforce and contractors e.g. each blaster/painter is kitted out with full breathing apparatus and specialist protective clothing for the job.

ENDS For further information, contact: Craig Bowman on 07917 775 805 / 0141 555 4108