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It should be very apparent steam locomotives were hungry beasts. They ran thru coal like crazy and drank endless amounts of water. Water plugs were everywhere and online fueling stations were a necessity. Fuel and water alone required vast amounts of manpower and resources. And then there was the disposal of the ashes. <br />The Sante Fe had great problems with water in Arizona. It was just darn hard to find. So tanker trains were used to refill the tanks between Needles and Ash Fork. In cold country the water towers were heated to keep things flowing. As Mark said before the quality of coal determined what kind of firebox your loco had. Sort of like sizing the furnace for your home. Every railroad designed their locos around the quality of coal available. And the locomotive & tender length was a compromise on turntable length, and coal/water capacity. This determined how far you could run a given locomotive on a given division before fuel and water were needed. Woe to the crew who ran low on water. Diesels eliminated a big headache!
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