Editing Tay Bridge (section)

===Construction===
On 9 March 1882, the work on the second bridge commenced, located {{convert|18|m}} upstream of, and parallel to, the original bridge.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> The first portions of the bridge to be erected were built upon the southern shore; work proceeded for some time before construction activities were initiated on the northern shore.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> Despite this, the majority of the bridge was erected simultaneously at both ends, continuing until the centre girders were connected and the junction was completed. Only some of the girders of the old bridge were reused for the new structure, and none were used without being subjected to considerable testing beforehand.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> It is believed that fourteen men died during the bridge's construction, most by drowning.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Large quantities of materials were used in the construction of the bridge. In terms of wrought iron, 16,300 tons were used for the piers and girders; if the 118 girders from the previous bridge are also included, the total weight is believed to amount to roughly 19,000 tons.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> 3,500 tons of steel was also used, while the cast iron elements of the piers weighs 2,500 tons, for a combined 25,000 tons of iron and steel having been used. Around 10 million bricks, possessing a combined weight of 37,500 tons, were used to build both the approaches to the bridge and the cylinders.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> The total weight of the concrete used is 70,000 tons. Additionally, the bridge contains around 3,000,000 [[rivet]]s.<ref name = "fife pictor"/><ref name="paint 2012">Shirres, David. [https://www.railengineer.uk/2012/11/05/painting-the-tay-bridge/ "Painting the Tay Bridge."] ''Rail Engineer'', 5 November 2012.</ref>

The estimated cost for the second bridge was £640,000 {{Inflation|UK|640000|1884|r=2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}} ; while this figure was overrun, it did not prove to have been overly optimistic. When the construction work is broken down, the founding of the piers was calculated as having cost £282,000, the installation of the girders and parapets £268,000, while £90,000 was involved in producing the approaches and arches.<ref name = "fife pictor"/> Some additional costs of roughly £16,000 had been incurred to improve the approach to the bridge from Newport; the branch line was reconstructed for a distance of half a mile eastward. When combined with the £350,000 cost of the first Tay Bridge, the North British Railway had spent roughly a million pounds to bridge the Tay.<ref name = "fife pictor"/>