Steam trains used far more water than coal

A closer look

They should have been called water locomotives. To boil enough steam to push hundreds of tons of metal across the countryside, a standard steam train guzzled water at an absolutely ridiculous rate. A typical locomotive might burn one ton of coal just to evaporate six tons of water. This is exactly why old train routes were entirely dictated by the presence of water towers rather than coal depots, meaning the train was basically just a giant, rolling tea kettle.