#2757

South Australian Railways 520 class

🇦🇺 Australia ·built by Islington Railway Workshops· from 1943· class of 12 Australian 4-8-4 locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. 520 class loco-South Australia-1984: John Masson· CC BY-SA 3.0
2. South Australian Railways 520 Class Locomotive No. 521 "Thomas Playford". Approximately 1944. State Library of South Australia B 58892 81: This image or other work is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. According to the Australian Copyright Council (ACC) , ACC Information Sheet · Public domain
3. 520 class Adelaide station, South Australia, c 1965: Frank Stamford· CC BY 2.0
4. South Australian Railways 520 Class Locomotive No. 532, 1948: Unknown· Public domain
5. South Australian Railways 520 class steam loco no 521 -- publicity photo, February 1944 (NRM BV00122): South Australian Railways photographer· Public domain
6. South Australian Railways 520 class steam loco no 525 -- publicity photo, February 1945 (NRM BV00134): South Australian Railways photographer· Public domain
7. 520 class loco-South Aust-1984: John Masson· CC BY-SA 3.0
8. South Australian Railways 520 class loco at the SteamRanger Museum: ChrisMCau· Public domain
9. Locomotive engine - The Essington Lewis(GN10960): State Government Photographer· CC0
10. Locomotive Engine, The Essington Lewis(GN10957): State Government Photographer· CC0

what is it?

The South Australian Railways 520 class, also known as "The Whispering Giants", is a class of streamliner 4-8-4 'Northern' type steam locomotive operated by the former South Australian Railways. The 520 class is one of the fastest Australian-built steam locomotives, with locomotive No. 520 holding a verified speed record of over 78 mph on the Port Pirie line on 10 November 1943.

who runs it

South Australian Railways

base stats

speed 112 km/htop speed
power 1.9 MWpower output
built 12made 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 83 years ago, in 1943.
1.9 MW is about 23 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
26.5 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 28 years (1943–1971).

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

spec sheet

built: 1943–1947
in service from: 1943
retired: 1971
status: preserved
number built: 12
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇦🇺 Australia
builders: Islington Railway Workshops
designer: Frank Hugh Harrison
operators: South Australian Railways
top speed: 112 km/h
power: 1.9 MW
gauge: 1,600 mm Irish broad gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-8-4
length: 26.5 m
nicknames: Whispering Giants

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

Sources: Wikidata Q7566139, Wikipedia: South Australian Railways 520 class (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.