About 150 steam locomotives operate in the U.S. today and they still burn fossil coal. These historic locomotives are often used for tourists hauling a couple million passengers a year.
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It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomotive's boiler to the point where it becomes gaseous and its volume increases 1,700 times.
If we take an overall view of the transport sector, 71% of transportation related carbon emissions come from road users, whereas only 1.8% of emissions stem from rail travel. So in absolute terms, trains are responsible for a lot less emissions than cars.
No, they were phased out many decades ago on commercial railways. There are still some steam trains running on preserved railways for steam enthusiasts. Coal-fired steam engines were made uneconomical on non-electrified routes by diesel engines. A diesel costs vastly less to operate, is more reliable and safer.
Coal fired steam locomotives do produce a lot of CO2 emissions but also aerosols which has a cooling effect (global dimming), which cancels out some of the warming produced by CO2. Diesel locos probably produce less CO2 but also less aerosols that would cancel out the CO2.
Steam locomotives are no longer used to transport passengers or products because electric and diesel locomotives are faster, more efficient, and easier to maintain. The locomotives that are still running are a piece of history dating back to the 1800's that really put into perspective just how far we've come!
The diesel engine drives an alternator, which produces electricity to run electric motors mounted on the locomotive's axles. The internal combustion engine was a dramatic improvement in efficiency over the steam locomotive, making substantial savings possible in maintenance and the elimination of widespread facilities.
This high carbon emission is mainly due to the significant fuel consumption and associated emissions of airplanes. On the other hand, traveling by train offers a more environmentally friendly alternative.