A model rowing boat made from the wreckage of a wooden carriage of a train, which was trapped on the first Tay Rail bridge when it collapsed into the River Tay. The bridge was completed in February 1878 to great acclaim. It was built by the North British Railway Company for their services from Edinburgh to Dundee and the east coast line. On the night of the 28th December 1879 an extreme storm caused a central section of the bridge to collapse, taking a passenger train and 75 people to the bottom of the river. The model is linked to Captain James Chapman, a local master mariner, who’s grandfather, father and two of his three sons were also sea captains. It is not known if James Chapman was involved in the attempted salvage of the submerged carriages, it is possible as he would have been only 39 years old at the time and already an accomplished sailor.
This model was brought to you with help from Museums Galleries Scotland as part of the ‘Exploring the Ship Model Collection at the McManus’ project.
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