>>954224Weight really isn't THAT big of an issue when it comes to freight locomotives, amigo. You're talking about trains that are up to 23,000 tons. Carrying a bit of water in a tank car isn't that big of weight penalty. The real cost is the time and infrastructure to set up a water supply system. Railroads in the age of steam were very dependent on a source of water to refuel engines. You'd be adding another piece to the puzzle instead of filling up a 5,000 gallon diesel tank and not having to worry about it for another 1,000 miles.
Diesels are simple, easy, scalable, and efficient. Steam was dropped for a lot of very good reasons.
I know you're thinking of fossil fuel scarcity, but the truth is that diesel will be scare for consumers long before it's scarce for industries.
