Commonwealth Engineering

Industry Engineering
Founded 1921
Defunct 1990
Headquarters Granville
Number of locations
 Dandenong
Rocklea
Bassendean
Products Railway rolling stock
Parent Australian National Industries

Commonwealth Engineering was an Australian engineering company that designed and built railway locomotives, rolling stock and trams.

History

Preserved former Sydney Albion Venturer in Glasgow in October 2009
Preserved Mount Newman Mining MLW M636 diesel locomotive in April 2012
FreightCorp 8606 at Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum in March 2011
TransAdelaide 2000 class railcar at Woodlands Park in April 2007
Westrail's The Australind at Claisebrook in April 2002
CityRail V set at Central in December 2007
Connex Melbourne Comeng in December 2005
CountryLink RUB carriage at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot in December 2012
Z class Melbourne tram 168 at Preston Workshops in August 2007
Hong Kong Light Rail Phase I LRV in February 2009

Commonwealth Engineering was founded in 1921 as Smith & Waddington, in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown building bodies for motorcars and buses.[1] It was reformed after the Depression as Waddingtons Body Works and moved to Granville. The Government of Australia took control of the company during World War II to produce materials in the Granville factory. The government purchased a controlling stake in the company in 1946 and changed the name to Commonwealth Engineering.

In 1949 a factory was established in Rocklea, Queensland. This was followed in 1952 a plant in Bassendean, Western Australia and in 1954 by another in Dandenong, Victoria. In June 1957, the government sold its shares. In November 1982 Comeng was taken over by Australian National Industries.

The Granville factory closed in 1989 and has been demolished. The site, which sat between the Great Western Highway and Main Western railway line west of Duck River, has been replaced with new developments that include high rise housing and light industry.

The Dandenong plant was sold in 1990 to ABB Transportation and is now operated by Bombardier Transportation while the Bassendean facility was sold to A Goninan & Co.

The history of Comeng has been published by John Dunn:

Products

Commonwealth Engineering's products included:

Buses

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Victoria

Western Australia

Diesel locomotives

New South Wales

Western Australia

Electric locomotives

New South Wales

Diesel multiple units

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

India

Electric multiple units

New South Wales

Victoria

Carriages

Commonwealth Railways

Long Island Rail Road

New South Wales

Queensland

Trams

New South Wales

Victoria

Hong Kong

References

  1. ↑ History of Prewar and War Single Deck Vehicles DGT Archives
  2. ↑ Dunn, John (2006). Comeng: A history of Commonwealth Engineering: Volume 1: 1921-1955. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 1877058424.
  3. ↑ Dunn, John (2008). Comeng: A history of Commonwealth Engineering: Volume 2: 1955-1966. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 1877058734.
  4. ↑ Dunn, John (2010). Comeng: A history of Commonwealth Engineering: Volume 3: 1967-1977. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058905.
  5. ↑ Dunn, John (2013). Comeng: A history of Commonwealth Engineering: Volume 4: 1977-1985. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781922013514.
  6. ↑ Dunn, John (2013). Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering. Volume 5: 1985–1990. Kenthurst, New South Wales: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 978-1-922013-52-1.
  7. ↑ "John Dunn Obituary". Sydney Morning Herald. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  8. ↑ The Indian Railcar Contract Adam, Eric Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December 1989 pp285-291

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