This is an important book because Professor Swinfen, for the first time in a popular text, highlights the findings of Tom Martin and Professor Iain Macleod based on their comprehensive structural assessment published in the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1995 and 2004. Most previous books on the subject have promoted the hypothesis that collapse occurred not primarily from the inherent weakness of the structure to extreme wind force, but from damage caused by the derailed train, or, uncharacteristically for cast iron, fatigue.
When writing history it is important to seek after truth. In a technical context, such as the reason why the Tay Bridge fell, this is best done from an understanding of material properties and the forces at play in its parts under various loading conditions. Previous writers on the Tay Bridge disaster tended not to address these issues in a comprehensive way. Fortunately for public understanding, Professor Swinfen avoids this pitfall and arrives at what deserves to be regarded as the final word in this subject.
Professor Roland Paxton, MBE, FICE, FRSE
Heriot-Watt University