It happens rarely in diesel locos. They would get oil build up in the air box and that would be pushed into the engine ports and become fuel. It was one of the service items to drain them. Just think of a V6, V8, V16 with 567 or 645 Cubic inches in each cylinder revving like crazy. I never saw it but one of my workmates had to 'abandon ship' when a Y or a T class (can't remember which) suffered runaway. Remember the instance where a forum member forgot to take a plastic bottle from his snorkel head? The vacuum would be many times that on a runaway. As has been said, apart from dumping the clutch on a manual, there is bugger all you can do but hope the fuel source runs out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmIfjmvXp0I
Reply With Quote