Commonwealth Engineering

The Commonwealth Engineering Company Limited (Comeng) is the brand name of a former Australian Engineering Company that designed Locomotives , Electrical Multiple Unit's (EMU) and Trams.

History

The Commonwealth Engineering Company Limited was a major Australian engineering and railway rolling stock manufacturer. It began in 1921 as Smith & Waddington, a small company in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown building bodies for motorcars and small buses. It was reformed after the Depression as Waddingtons Body Works and moved to Granville. The Commonwealth government took control of the company during World War II to produce materiel in the Granville factory. The government bought up a controlling stake of the shares in 1946 and changed the name to Commonwealth Engineering.

The company name was changed to Commonwealth Holdings Limited in 1963. It was taken over by Australian National Industries Limited in 1983 and Comeng became ANI's rolling stock division.

ANI sold Comeng to ABB Transportation in 1990. This later became Adtranz and is now part of Bombardier Transportation.

The first of a three volume history of Comeng by John Dunn was published in 2006.

Products

Vehicles manufactured by Commonwealth Engineering include:

• S set Sydney electric train
• U set Sydney electric train
• V set Sydney electric train
• 442 class diesel locomotive (final 6 units)
• 70 class diesel hydraulic locomotive
• 80 class diesel electric locomotive
• 85 class electric locomotive
• 86 class electric locomotive
• XPT diesel train
• Comeng type Melbourne electric train
• ADK class railcar
• Prospector diesel railcars
• 2000 class Adelaide railcar
• 3000 class Adelaide railcar
• Z1 class Melbourne tram
• Z2 class Melbourne tram
• Z3 class Melbourne tram
• A1 class Melbourne tram
• A2 class Melbourne tram
• B1 class Melbourne tram
• B2 class Melbourne tram
• KCR Light Rail tram
• Diesel Railcars for Indian Railways

References

• Comeng, A History of Commonwealth Engineering Vol I 1921 to 1955 by John Dunn, Rosenberg Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1877058424.

See also

• Harris (train)
• Comeng (train)

External links

• M class EMU's
• Further information on the 3000 and 3100 series railcar

End Notes