Interesting to see those old U-boats shooting flames like that. Of course, that was more-or-less the way they ran. I mean, maybe not intentionally, but it didn't shut down the railroad or anything. Old Geeps were a different matter. When we saw flames belching from our GP9 on the Enid sub one hot summer day, engineer Paul Gibberson indeed shut 'er down. At first I thought it was coming out the stack, but a 2nd look revealed that smoke was pouring out the side grills about halfway back. Paul and I got the fire put out with a fire extinguisher, but the unit was off at that point. We were on foot. Of course, it didn't happen in Clinton or Frederick, our endpoints, where we might have conveniently walked over to the station and called someone. It happened between Roosevelt and Snyder, Oklahoma, where the scenery suddenly turned very "Southwestern" and went winding around through the rocky terrain with nearby peaks rising up from 500 ft. to 1000 ft. above local ground level. We were at a dirt grade crossing miles from anywhere, and all of us were thinking about the rattlesnakes we'd seen on the right-of-way. We finally were able to reach the stationmaster in Snyder who fetched us back to his station, where we waited until Alice, the stationmaster at Clinton, could drive down and get us, and take us back to Clinton where we'd left our cars. Next day (Monday) was our day off, and then we were back on the job Tuesday, but our old Geep was nowhere to be found. Another one took its place, and I never knew what happened to the one that caught fire, or just why it did. "Grease buildup" was our own diagnosis. I've got pictures, but I have no idea where they are. If I can find them I'll post them sometime. Shooshie
Saw a GP38 (yes, a GP38, no turbocharger) do this at speed in Lockwood, just before sunset. It wasn't flame, exactly, coming out of the stacks, maybe it was just really really hot exhaust (like the unburned carbon in the exhaust was being burned once it hit the atmosphere). The effect was of red wispy fire spewing 5-6 ft up from the stacks, all the way through town. Unbelievable!
