Small scale, but ...
Back in the early 1980s a chap suddenly appeared in our office (Freight Short Term Planning) to occupy a spare desk in one corner. Each morning we would nod as he came in, and nod again as he left. Never learnt his name; we called him "Man with a Suitcase", because he brought one to work each week.
Rumour was that he was a senior manager who had disgraced himself in some way and had been shifted from his role to "a special project" which - extraordinarily - was a scheme to speed up the Midland Main Line by using 2x Class 45 on each train !
He spent weeks and weeks on a project which - I suspect - was never, ever meant to work. (Just imagine fitting a rake of carriages plus FOUR Peaks in St Pancras!) I assume it was simply a way of getting him away from wherever/ whatever had gone awry. Today, presumably, gardening leave would have been employed.
Back in the early 1980s a chap suddenly appeared in our office (Freight Short Term Planning) to occupy a spare desk in one corner. Each morning we would nod as he came in, and nod again as he left. Never learnt his name; we called him "Man with a Suitcase", because he brought one to work each week.
Rumour was that he was a senior manager who had disgraced himself in some way and had been shifted from his role to "a special project" which - extraordinarily - was a scheme to speed up the Midland Main Line by using 2x Class 45 on each train !
He spent weeks and weeks on a project which - I suspect - was never, ever meant to work. (Just imagine fitting a rake of carriages plus FOUR Peaks in St Pancras!) I assume it was simply a way of getting him away from wherever/ whatever had gone awry. Today, presumably, gardening leave would have been employed.