Darren Nock

Said the following about Ernest Bridgen:

“One of the major system factors of the Class II strategy for Signalling Power was to remove the requirement of using

a 3 core Copper cable and replace it with a 2 core Copper cable for distribution feeders. With the introduction and subsequent policy change for new installations; Class II Based Signalling Power supplies reduced the copper required in distributions systems by a third. This has had an immediate impact on Capital Costs for projects, lessened the desirability of the cable to theft and with less copper, reduced the environmental impact.

As a result of the Class II strategy vast copper savings through utilisation of 2 core Copper cable can be translated into a reduction of our embodied carbon (which is the sum of fuel related carbon emissions) by 33%. To the general public this is a significant reduction in our Carbon Footprint and contributes to Network Rails Environmental Sustainability Policy.

With the Class II success, the potential benefit of changing conductor materials from Copper to Aluminium was recognised. This transformation would require a complete system review and overhaul with the goal being to eliminate or remove the remaining copper. The Copper Elimination programme for Signalling Power Distribution was subsequently introduced.

Copper is increasingly becoming classed as a scarce raw material and is therefore expensive to use, this cost being augmented by manufacturing process related carbon emissions. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and the third most abundant element, after oxygen and silicon. It is also theoretically 100% recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities.

The sustainability and environmental aspiration for Signalling Power

Distribution Systems would be to reduce our carbon emissions to zero. The Copper Elimination workstream goes a long way in meeting this aspiration.

Ernest has through his tenacious dedication spearheaded the introduction and take up of this initiative.“