Why did steam locomotives not have condensers to recycle the spent steam? The thermal efficiency would be a lot higher. - Quora
![North British Locomotive Company's geared steam turbine condensing locomotive. - Institution of Mechanical Engineers North British Locomotive Company's geared steam turbine condensing locomotive. - Institution of Mechanical Engineers](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/cache.past-view.com/497d4021daeaf0152678ca8ee4eb5d081b8660d36792110cbcac4fe894d87650/e4d173c07c13dd0b9d61ef7f7904d5c86339604ca603f15366436d83333a398f.jpg)
North British Locomotive Company's geared steam turbine condensing locomotive. - Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Why did steam locomotives not cool and recycle the steam/water back to the boiler to increase the range, like the primary loop in a power station? - Quora
![Railway vehicle; Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866 | London Transport Museum Railway vehicle; Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866 | London Transport Museum](https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/system/files/styles/open_graph_image/private/collection_item/i000026d_3.jpg?h=ad1846e1&itok=_Xuf-dh5)
Railway vehicle; Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866 | London Transport Museum
![A history of the growth of the steam-engine . de Saxe, heconstructed his first steam locomotive-engine, which onlydisappointed him, as he stated, in consequence of the ineffi-ciency of the feed-pumps. The second A history of the growth of the steam-engine . de Saxe, heconstructed his first steam locomotive-engine, which onlydisappointed him, as he stated, in consequence of the ineffi-ciency of the feed-pumps. The second](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2AJ3F6R/a-history-of-the-growth-of-the-steam-engine-de-saxe-heconstructed-his-first-steam-locomotive-engine-which-onlydisappointed-him-as-he-stated-in-consequence-of-the-ineffi-ciency-of-the-feed-pumps-the-second-was-that-built-underthe-authority-of-the-minister-choiseul-and-cost-20000livres-cugnot-received-from-the-french-government-apension-of-600-livres-he-died-in-1804-at-the-age-of-sev-enty-nine-years-watt-at-a-very-early-period-proposed-to-apply-his-own-steam-locomotion-on-baileoads-153-engine-to-locomotion-and-contemplated-using-either-a-non-condensing-engine-or-an-air-surface-c-2AJ3F6R.jpg)