[HM181]

Quite some years ago I had to go from Manchester Vic Mess room , with my favourite driver called Dennis who was an ex 56B/56A man .
For Dennis 14hour+ shifts were the norm, so everyone had to do the same or Dennis got a little ill tempered.
Dennis and I were asked to go to the Bay platforms to pick up a Class 56 to take to Warrington and bring back a train to HM.
They stored locos in the Bays in those days, as it was years before the trams took over these platforms.
Dennis would make overtime at any excuse.
We then set sail from Vic towards Eccles, this was before the run round road was put in on the up road.
As we were approaching Eccles down distant, the Class 56 expired and stopped dead.
As we were near Eccles box,went back and protected the light engine.
Dennis got on the SPT to the box, and it was arranged for a Class 47 to come from VIC to rescue the failed 56.
After an age with the down line was a que of traffic waiting for the road.
When the 47 came, I picked up the dets, and conducted the driver onto the failed engine.
I hooked the 47 onto the 56, complete with the air brake pipes.
The driver off the 47 agreed a method of work and what we were going to do.
Plan:- propell the 56 to Ashton Moss SB, and cross over on the main to main, then back to Newton Heath and dump the engine, then back home to The Mill on the 0215hrs York Papers and off at the Mill
All this took time and eventually we managed to get back to Vic and get on the papers.
Some years after when I saw Dennis now retired, and he told me why the 56 failed, something to do with a coolant pipe in the engine room had been damaged, but Dennis assured he did not do this evil damage with his onion knife. He told me this with a smile and a wink of the eye.
This time would have been in the mid 1980's before the Worksop Maffia brought in the horrid smell of privatisation to HM the best Depot on BR.
Dennis would be now 85 years old and still lookes after his little onion knife.