Ghost train that crosses the Firth of Tay

The Firth of Tay (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Tatha) is a firth in the east of Scotland into which the River Tay (Tatha) empties. The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and originates in western Scotland at the mountain of Ben Lui (Beinn Laoigh).  Then flows easterly, eventually reaching the city of Perth (Peairt) where it becomes tidal, and travels on to its mouth at the Firth of Tay, south of Dundee (Dùn Dè). 

The first Tay Rail Bridge was designed by Thomas Bouch and opened on 26th September 1877, having taken six years to build. It carried the railway across the Firth of Tay between Dundee and Wormit in north-east Fife. It was a major undertaking at the time and attracted many visitors including General Ulysses Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America and Queen Victoria.  

However, its success was short lived. The Tay Bridge Disaster took place on the evening of 28 December 1879 and is one of the worst train disasters in Scottish history. During a storm that swept across central Scotland the train from Edinburgh had begun to cross the bridge. When it reached the middle section the bridge collapsed. It is thought that 75 passengers were on the train, and they along with the crew plunged into the icy cold waters of the River Tay. There were no survivors and only 46 bodies were recovered. An enquiry reported that the bridge had flaws in its construction and was insufficiently engineered to cope with high winds. Thomas Bouch, the designer, was blamed for the Tay Bridge disaster. Ten months after the tragedy, on the 30 October 1880, he died at the age of 58, a broken man and his reputation ruined. 

A second bridge was built across the Firth of Tay, that ran parallel to the remains of the first bridge. This bridge was opened in 1887 and remains in use today. The stumps of the pillars of the old bridge can still be seen poking eerily out of the water. Some say that it is not only the physical remains that point to the existence of First Tay Bridge. It is said that on the anniversary of the Tay Bridge disaster a ghost train can be seen where the track would once have been. Then the sounds of screaming can be heard as the train disappears, plunging its passengers into the cold waters of the River Tay.