#2088

South Australian Railways 500 class (steam)

🇦🇺 Australia ·built by Armstrong Whitworth· from 1925· class of 10 Australian 4–8–2 locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. South Australian Railways steam locomotive 502 with freight to Tailem Bend at Sleep's Hill, 18 July 1953 (LE Bates, NRM 2-71-a0358) (cropped): Lionel E. Bates· Public domain
2. South Australian Railways locomotive no 504, Tom Barr Smith, in new Overland livery, smooth casing and valance, ca 1937: South Australian Railways photographer· Public domain
3. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06901): State Government Photographer· CC0
4. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06903): State Government Photographer· CC0
5. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06904): State Government Photographer· CC0
6. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06910): State Government Photographer· CC0
7. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06912): State Government Photographer· CC0
8. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06914) (cropped): State Government Photographer· CC0
9. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06914): State Government Photographer· CC0
10. 500 Class Mountain Type Locomotive Engine(GN06946): State Government Photographer· CC0

what is it?

The South Australian Railways 500 class is a class of 4-8-2 steam locomotives introduced by the former South Australian Railways (SAR) in 1925. The locomotives were upgraded in 1929 by the installation of booster engines to increase the tractive effort to 59,000 pounds-force (260 kN). The resulting 500B class, with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, was briefly the most powerful steam locomotive class to operate in Australia until supplanted by the slightly more powerful NSWGR D57 class 4-8-2.

who runs it

South Australian Railways

base stats

built 10made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 101 years ago, in 1925.
25.3 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 37 years (1926–1963).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built: 1925
in service from: 1926
retired: 1963
status: preserved
number built: 10
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇦🇺 Australia
builders: Armstrong Whitworth
designer: Alco (USRA Light Mikado) adapted by Fred Shea
operators: South Australian Railways
top speed: —
power: —
gauge: 1,600 mm Irish broad gauge
wheel arrangement: As built: 4-8-2 2'D1' 2'2′
length: 25.3 m

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q7566138, Wikipedia: South Australian Railways 500 class (steam) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.