Murthwaite Locomotive Group
The MLG came into existence in 1984 when a group of a dozen or so regular volunteers set out to purchase and restore an industrial narrow gauge locomotive for use on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. It was originally named the Shabtrak Association after the Shabby Gang to which most of the members belonged. The following year saw the purchase of two 2 foot gauge Listers and a base of operations set up in the old block hut at Murthwaite to allow restoration projects to commence - a move that prompted the group name change. From there, Cyril was born.
During the 1990s they also built a utility wagon that is still part of the permanent way fleet and a four wheel wagon. Additional responsibilities were taken on in the next decade when an agreement was reached to take on the maintenance and upkeep of Quarryman which lead to a full overhaul of the locomotive and a return to traffic. The Group now works closely with the Society Trust on this venture.
Throughout its history, that now spans nearly four decades, the group has supported both the railway and the society on many projects. It has also organised a number of its own events such as a the Diesel Gala weekend in 1989 and the trip to the Dresdner Parkeisenbahn in 1998 on which Cyril was joined by the steam locomotives Northern Rock and the Society owned River Mite. These days the group still holds at least one annual working weekend at Ravenglass and additionally a number of its members are still very active on the scene.