What kind of fuel does 1522 burn?
#6 oil – also referred to as Bunker C. To atomize (see next question) properly, the fuel must be kept hot, so steam pipes are routed through the fuel tank in the tender to keep it at 130 degrees F. 1522 did not always burn oil – she was originally built as a coal burner but only stayed that way for a year before being converted. Wood, while burned on real old steam locomotives, does not put out the heat needed to operate larger locomotives like the 1522. On average, 1522 burns 14 gallons of fuel per mile. The tender holds 4500 gallons of fuel oil – enough for 250 miles of steaming.
