The uses of coal and coke for steel making is a very small part of the human carbon footprint, if that was all we were using it for....we wouldn't have much of a human CO2 problem heating the planet.

Ninety-five percent of all atmospheric carbon is generated and absorbed through the natural carbon cycle (leaves decay, trees bloom, etc.). There is an extra 5% that appears to come from the level of carbon fuel consumption by humans burning fossil fuels.

Only about half of that "man made" carbon dioxide is reflected in actual long term atmospheric CO2 level increases we observe, the other half is somehow being accommodated and re-absorbed, into oceans (acidity levels are increasing), carbon consuming sea life forms, and "we don't know"...there will be a satellite looking for the answer to that next year.

There are other minor variations from things like volcanism, which are more transient (only about 5% comes from this source in a major eruptive year), that are absorbed and don't seem to cause much rise in the long term atmospheric carbon dioxide build up (in the last 10,000 years of sea ice CO2 levels).

Natural gas CO2 emissions being such a small source, or some transportation related sources, could well be sustainable, within a certain level of "man made" CO2 production, that would (theoretically?)not lead to a continuous systematic increase in atmospheric levels, causing significant global warming. We simply don't know, yet. But, we do know that at the levels we are currently adding, and coal being the biggest contributor by far, is not going to be good for the Florida Keys in about 30 years...... (once connected by rail to Miami...).

Some of the nonsense that has been proposed recently in CA in the name of reducing CO2, from funding High Speed Rail, to this equally dubious nonsense to "supposedly" cut our driving in half and to "Ban the Big Boy", will do far less than replacing coal for electricity generation, which is doable with nuclear power and natural gas, at a substantial "near term" reduction in "global" human caused emissions levels, at the cheapest cost to consumers (those very same "humans"), and the least disruption to society (made up of those same humans).

Transportation related emissions in the US do account for about 25% of US CO2 emissions, worldwide it is much less. Choo-choo's are a very, very, very small part of that total. But yes, we should continue to work on technology that improves efficiency and reduces harmful emissions, from all sources, from choo-choo's to making the steel for them. Which we are doing quite successfully, in many transportation uses, with new technologies, and better efficiency.

Solutions will not come from loony-tune conspiracy theories that deny good science, while ranting about "banning the Big Boy", or from dubious political pandering to credulous nitwits, with lofty sounding "environmental" nonsense, that really accomplishes little, while needlessly pissing folks off.

So, get those coal train photos, while you can.... because gas is just so much cheaper, too.