Anything is possible for models, even if it isn't in reality. The single greatest use for water in the US is as a heat sink...I believe its 99%+ of the total water usage. There are some thermodynamic reasons for that...and the greater the energy output, the greater the demand.
BUT! The laws and principles of thermodynamics don't have to apply to models! My old Bachmann Plus 2-8-0 topped out around 154 scale miles per hour. I've also had an IHC 4-4-0 pulling a 10 car train up a 7% grade...Love to see a real 4-4-0 do that without 2 helpers.
As far as the western vs. eastern railroad coal shipping...that's due to sulfur content.
When you burn a ton of coal...you get a set ratio of CO2, SO2, etc...depending upon the C and S content of the coal. SO2 causes environmental problems, so therefore, you either have to have an expensive sulfur removal system or you burn low sulfur coal. Powder river basin coal is low sulfur coal while Appalachian varieties are a bit higher. So a typical powerplant would chose Powder River coal over WV coal to avoid expensive scrubber systems.
There are also modern techniques of removing the sulfur from coal before it is burned...such as coal gasification which not only allows the coal to burn more efficiently (greater degree of combustion, less fly ash), but also allows the sulfur to be removed prior to burning.
Hence, BNSF & the UP are shipping more coal.