IIRC, the switch to coal started earlier than 1880, the UP engine at Promontory was coal fired. OTOH, wood burners were apparently still common on the Espee in Oregon about the turn of the century.
I'm guessing it was from 1880 to 1890 when railroads switched from wood to coal. Was wood the dominant fuel initially or was coal used right from the start with wood only where it was easily accessible?
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