In September 1981, the Midland Railway Trust approached British Rail with a view to acquiring Ais Gill signal box "as a special display item either in or adjacent to the museum or on the working line" at the Midland Railway Centre (which is located at Butterley in Derbyshire).
Some of the correspondence relating to the purchase has survived and it provides a fascinating insight into the negotiations.
The price agreed was £75 + VAT and, during a five day period from 23rd to 27th August 1982, the box was dismantled, removed from the Ais Gill site, and transported to Butterley. This process is described in an article published in issue 51 of the Midland Railway Trust's 'Wyvern' journal (which we've not yet been able to obtain) and in an article published in the February 1983 issue of Steam World Magazine.
The structure was then rebuilt at Butterley and the process is described in an article published in issue 52 of the Midland Railway Trust's 'Wyvern' journal. The speed at which the entire project was carried out is quite remarkable:
"in the space of only 26 days the whole operation - dismantling, mostly in the appalling weather conditions typical of the Settle-Carlisle line, transporting, refurbishing and re-erection to completion - was carried out"
The signal box now bears the name "Butterley G. F." (i.e. Butterley Ground Frame) and it is mentioned briefly on the following pages of Trust's website:
- https://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/butterley-station/signal/
- https://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/signal-boxes/
It is now Grade II listed (L.E.N. 1335401).
The photographs below show the structure in its new home during the early 1980s (Image Gallery A) and on 14th August 2024 (Image Gallery B).
Image Gallery A (early 1980s)
Image A1
Image A2
Image Gallery B (14th August 2024)
Image B1
Image B2
Image B3
Image B4
Image B5
Image B6
Image B7
Image B8
Image B9
Image B10
Image B11
Image B12
Image B13
Image B14
Image B15
Acknowledgements
The SCRCA Project team gratefully acknowledges the assistance received from Chris Deeth (a member of the Midland Railway Trust's 'Archive & Collections Team') for supplying the two photographs in Image Gallery A and for granting us permission to reproduce them here. For further information regarding the Trust, please visit its website at:
https://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/
The photographs in Image Gallery B were taken by Mark R. Harvey during a visit to Butterley on 14th August 2024. The five interior shots were taken with the kind permission of (and while accompanied by) the 'Responsible Officer' on duty on the day of the visit.