An end is finally in sight to the famously "never-ending" job of painting the Forth Rail Bridge.

Forth Rail Bridge
©Unknown
The 8,300ft bridge is made of 51,000 tonnes of steelwork and was completed in 1890.


According to modern myth, as soon as workmen finish re-painting the massive 19th century bridge they have to begin all over again.

But Network Rail have announced that in four years' time they will at last be able to put down their brushes.

A new long-lasting paint is being put on the bridge that should last for 25 years, and could have a lifespan of up to 40 years.

The expression "like painting the Forth Bridge" features in the Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms. It states: "If repairing or improving something is like painting the Forth Bridge, it takes such a long time that by the time you have finished doing it, you have to start again."

Constant maintenance work has been going on for more than 100 years, but at the end of a £74 million contract there will be no more paint applied for decades to come.

Iain Coucher, the chief executive of Network Rail, said the company was now able to name the date when the process would end.

He added: "The work currently being undertaken will restore the bridge to its original condition and preserve the steel-work for decades to come.

"The team currently working on the bridge has now completed some of the most difficult work and they have already overcome the most significant challenges that this project posed."

The work involves screening off sections of the bridge before old paintwork is removed and repairs are carried out on bare steel.

The new paint, similar to that used in the offshore oil industry, is then applied in three coats.

Marshall Scott, of engineers Balfour Beatty, said: "We have now worked in excess of 2.4 million hours on the bridge over six years.

"We now look forward to taking this project to completion in 2012 and, with the removal of the scaffolding, the restoration of this remarkable bridge will return it to near pristine condition."

The restoration work has already seen the crossing closed for the longest period in its history - eight days in 2005 when engineers needed access near the tracks to blast away old paint.

The 8,300ft bridge, which has three red diamond-shaped spans, is made of 51,000 tonnes of steelwork and was completed in 1890.

It carries the East Coast Main line across the Forth Estuary and has up to 200 train movements a day.