The Forth Bridge is a spectacular piece of Victorian engineering - sometimes it is incorrectly referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge, to distinguish it from the nearby road bridges.
Its iconic cantilever appearance is instantly recognisable and it is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Construction began in 1882, and the bridge was opened in 1890.
Until recently, any seemingly endless task was often referred to as being like" painting the Forth Bridge". This was because it was said that as soon as they had finished painting the bridge from one end to the other, they would go back to the beginning and start over.
Whether this was strictly true or not, in recent times the bridge has been given a modern coating which is supposed to last for 25 years.
It is a testament to the engineers of the time that the bridge still stands and is in daily use, whilst its nearest neighbour, the much more modern road bridge, is in semi - retirement. It is now only used for public transport such as buses, all other transport has now been diverted to the newly opened Queensferry Crossing.
