Cyril
Cyril is a locomotive privately owned by the Murthwaite Locomotive Group (MLG).
It’s history on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway started in 1985 when the group purchased two 2 foot gauge Lister diesels with a view to providing an additional locomotive to the fleet.
These were 4404 (built 1932) obtained from Moseley Industrial Narrow Gauge Museum in Stockport, and 40009 (built 1954) obtained from Country Kitchen Foods Ltd., as a donor. Both arrived by road and are believed to be the only Listers ever to have topped 70mph! By 1986 the regauged, semi restored locomotive made its first tentative movements under it’s own power around Ravenglass yard followed by a trip to Muncaster Mill siding.
At this point no decision had been made on what the bodywork would look like. It was decided at that year’s AGM that it would be rebuilt in the style of a Lister Blackstone and also that it would be named Cyril after Cyril Holland who worked most of his life on the railway.
Appropriately Cyril was commissioned and named by Cyril Holland (and the General Manager, Douglas Ferreria), on 16th April 1988 at the MLG Diesel Gala weekend. Cyril did not want a fuss, but accepted doing the job jointly with his boss!
Since that time Cyril’s main use has been as a shunting engine but has also seen use on the permanent way and on odd occasions passenger services, although it was never deemed to be suitable for main line workings. If you turn up in Ravenglass then there’s every chance you’ll see it and hear its distinctive Lister engine.