Yeah , that Decapod is the only other one I saw , and that was just design lazy , or cost cheap . There is no reason that they have to be aligned , articulateds do it all the time . It just is more efficient I guess , that and it's so common it is expected to be aligned .
Don't know what a condenser would look like on a loco . Are you thinking the recapture of water from the spent steam going to the smoke box ? I think that would have to be a massive thing to cool the steam down . Then there might be a reduced draft problem , and how long could a fan last blowing hot cinders or hot oil exhaust . Maybe that added bump is a place to cook their lunch
.
