By the beginning of 1879, the Tay Railway Bridge swept in a smooth arc across the water from North Fife to Dundee, thrilling dignitaries at the very sight of it. Queen Victoria rode over it on her way south from Balmoral. Its practical purpose was largely to bring Dundee closer to the textile markets, and vice versa, but its arches and rails spoke more of the beauty of human accomplishment. Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay: Reinvestigating the Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879.