Commonwealth Engineering
| Company type | Public (after government ownership ended) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering, Railway rolling stock manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Smith and Waddington, Waddingtons Body Works |
| Founded | 1921 in Sydney, Australia |
| Fate | Purchased by Australian National Industries in 1982; facilities sold to ABB and others in 1990 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia, India, Hong Kong, United States (Long Island Rail Road) |
| Products | Railway locomotives, rolling stock, trams, buses |
| Parent | Australian National Industries (from 1982) |
Commonwealth Engineering, frequently referred to as Com-Eng or Comeng, was an Australian company specializing in engineering, particularly in the creation and production of railway locomotives, rolling stock, and trams.
History
The company began its journey in 1921 under the name Smith and Waddington, based in Sydney's Camperdown, initially focusing on manufacturing bespoke motor vehicle bodies. After declaring bankruptcy during the Great Depression, it re-emerged as Waddingtons Body Works and shifted its primary manufacturing site to Granville following a fire at the original workshop. Despite securing significant government contracts during World War II, the firm encountered financial challenges, leading to the Australian Government taking majority ownership in 1946 and renaming it Commonwealth Engineering.
The business expanded by establishing new manufacturing plants in Rocklea, Queensland (1949), Bassendean, Western Australia (1952), and Dandenong, Victoria (1954). The government sold its shares in June 1957. Later, in November 1982, Comeng was purchased by Australian National Industries.
The Granville plant ceased operations in 1989 and was subsequently demolished, with the land repurposed for residential and light industrial developments. In 1990, ownership of the Dandenong facility transferred to ABB (which became Bombardier Transportation and is now part of Alstom), while the Bassendean factory was acquired by A Goninan & Co.
A detailed five-volume history documenting Comeng’s evolution from 1921 to 1990 was written by John Dunn, highlighting its significant role within Australian rail manufacturing.
Australian Capital Territory
- 60 Canberra Bus Service AEC Reliance 470 models
- 30 Canberra Bus Service AEC Swift 505 units
New South Wales
Victoria
- 50 AEC Regal III buses
Western Australia
Leyland OPSU1/1 models
New South Wales
- 8 diesel locomotives from the BHP Port Kembla D1 class
- 6 units of the 442 class diesel locomotives
- 10 diesel hydraulic locomotives classified as 70 class
- 50 diesel electric locomotives designated as 80 class
- 15 power cars for the XPT service
Queensland
- One diesel-hydraulic locomotive of the Mount Isa Mines 302 class
- One diesel-hydraulic locomotive of the Mount Isa Mines 305 class
- Seven DL class locomotives used by Innisfail Tramway operations
Western Australia
- Single unit of the MRWA E class locomotive
- 10 units of the WAGR B class locomotives
- 11 diesel locomotives from the Westrail N class series
- Alco 636 M636 diesel locomotives supplied to Hamersley Iron
- 21 Alco 636 diesel locomotives delivered for use by Mount Newman Mining
- 12 Alco 636 diesel locomotives manufactured for Robe River Mining
New South Wales
- 10 units of the 85 class electric locomotive
- 50 units of the 86 class electric locomotive
Queensland
- 18 electric locomotives of the 3100 class
- 68 electric locomotives of the 3200 class
New South Wales
- 5 Budd 1100 class railcars
Queensland
- 24 railcars from the 1800 class
- 2 railcars of the 1900 class
- 40 railcars belonging to the 2000 class
South Australia
- 30 suburban diesel railcars classified as 2000 class
- 20 suburban diesel railcars classified as 3000 class
Western Australia
- 10 ADK diesel multiple units
- 8 Prospector diesel railcars from the WCA/WCE class
- 5 Australind diesel railcars of the ADP/ADQ class
Tasmania
- 6 DP class diesel railcars from Tasmanian Government Railways
India
- A significant number of diesel railcars serving Indian Railways
New South Wales
- 80 Sputnik suburban carriages operating in Sydney
- 80 U set Intercity carriages
- 359 S set suburban carriages for Sydney Trains
- 246 V set Intercity carriages under NSW TrainLink
- 11 electric carriages used on the Skitube Alpine Railway
Victoria
- 570 Comeng suburban carriages running in Melbourne
Commonwealth Railways
- 24 carriages constructed from carbon steel
- 124 carriages made of stainless steel
Long Island Rail Road
- 10 bilevel C1 cars (conceptual design; manufactured by Tokyu Car Corporation)
New South Wales
- 35 N type passenger carriages
- 67 RUB type carriages
- 75 stainless steel passenger cars
- 47 XPT carriages
Queensland
- 99 steel passenger carriages
- 35 stainless steel passenger cars
- 112 suburban stainless steel SX carriages
New South Wales
- 100 R1 class trams operating in Sydney
Victoria
- 230 Z class trams in Melbourne
- 70 A class trams in Melbourne
- 132 B class trams in Melbourne
Hong Kong
- 70 Light Rail Vehicles from MTR Phase I introduced in 1988