Lego Inspiration

The Forth Bridge has inspired lots of people to go into engineering. One local engineer has taken it a step further by recreating this gargantuan structure out of Lego.

The scale structure, created out of around 1,000 Lego bricks, took Chartered Civil Engineer, Michael Dineen, four months to create.

Michael used his engineering know-how to overcome lots of construction challenges (getting Lego to curve is quite tricky!) and says that discovering the 'ball and socket' joint made all the difference. Ironically, he even needed to paint some of the pieces as they didn't come in dark red!

The model was first displayed during the celebrations for the 130th anniversary of the Forth Bridge. Not surprisingly, it captured the imagination of children and adults alike and was submitted to Lego as an ideal for an official kit.

By January 2021, the proposal had achieved a staggering 10,000 supporters, including descendants of William Arrol, the Forth Bridge Building Contractor. 

Sadly, in November 2021, Lego advised that they had decided against turning his idea into a set, opting instead for the US version of The Office and a jazz quartet. 

Michael said: "As disappointing as this news is, it’s worth reflecting on the achievement of being part of the 0.5% of Lego IDEA submissions that reach the review stage and the efforts to introduce Scotland’s first Lego set to shelves around the world.

"I would like to offer sincere thanks to every single person who supported me throughout the process as I literally relied on every single vote so thank you."

The model is now showcased in the Contact and Education Centre and will help to demonstrate how bridges stay up to future generations of schoolchildren. We think it will  inspire some of them to be the Civil Engineers of the future...