A page from W A Stephenson's 'Journal of a tour in Scotland', August 1890.
As the Forth Bridge neared completion in 1889, trains loaded beyond normal capacity crossed the bridge to test its strength.
'The Scotsman' newspaper reported the first passenger train crossing the Forth on 25 January 1890.
Adding to the excitement, the Marchioness of Tweeddale and wife of the North British Railway Company took the train's controls.
Tourist attraction
The bridge quickly became a tourist attraction and visitors flocked to see it.
W A Stephenson visited Scotland on a week's holiday, and joined a series of day trips called 'By rail, water and road'.
On 25 August, Stephenson records:
'… we went on board a small steamer and passed under the great Forth Bridge, you can scarcely imagine the enormous size of it, as seen from the boat … [it is] the great engineering feat of the age.'
Stephenson and his fellow travellers also crossed the bridge by train.
This journal featured in our display, 'The Forth Bridge: Building an icon', at the Library from 1 April to 21 June 2015.