A design was submitted for a Forth rail bridge by Thomas Bouch in 1879. Preliminary construction had already begun when the Tay bridge disaster occurred on 28th December 1879. Consequently all further work was suspended, and a new design was begun in 1883. The Bouch design looked more like the modern Forth road bridge, except that there was a pier half way across, as in the final rail design, making it look like 2 suspension bridges back to back.