The article cited below is a detailed and fascinating first hand account of the process by which the Midland Railway Trust Ltd. purchased Ais Gill signal box from British Rail in 1982 then, over a five day period from 23rd to 27th August of the same year, dismantled it and transported it to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley in Derbyshire (where it still resides).
"The Saving of Ais Gill Signal Box, by Melvyn Chamberlain (who bought it from BR for just £75)", published on pages 56-59 of Steam World Magazine, issue 23, February 1983.
An original copy of this article, is held in the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust's archive (ref. SCHARCH017082017.244) and the catalogue entry can be accessed via the following URL:
https://settlecarlisletrust.org.uk/archives/scharch017082017-244/
Sadly, we've not been able to obtain permission from the publisher to reproduce or transcribe the article here. However, the key points can be summarised as follows:
- The team of volunteers had just five days to complete the task and the work was carried out between 23rd and 27th August 1982.
- BR stipulated that:
- a duty 'look-out' had to be provided while the work was being carried out;
- nothing could be allowed to obstruct the main lines; and that
- cranes could not be used near the main lines.
- The signal box was located 50 yards from the nearest road.
- The team were given permission to use the intervening field for both access and camping.
- The weather was not especially kind (it rained heavily for most of the time, causing the field to become a "mudbath").
- The signal box was carefully dismantled (using hand tools where necessary) and the resulting kit of parts was carried to the road and loaded onto two lorries using muscle power alone.
- The team arrived at Butterley with the final loads at 7:30pm on the evening of the fifth day and, with the assistance of the railway's steam crane, everything was offloaded "within an hour".