Comeng

Commonwealth Engineering grew out of Smith and Waddington, a Sydney body builder founded in 1921, and took the Comeng name when the federal government took a controlling stake in 1946. Its Rocklea factory in Brisbane opened in 1949. Comeng built railmotors for Queensland, assembled Clydes at Rocklea, and built the 3100/3200 electrics as well as NSW's 80 class.

Australian National Industries took Comeng over in 1982, and in 1990 the business was broken up, with Dandenong going to ABB and Bassendean to Goninan.

Based in Granville, NSW, and Rocklea, Qld.

History

  1. 1921

    Smith and Waddington, the forerunner of Comeng, founded at Camperdown in Sydney.

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  2. 1946

    The federal government bought a controlling stake and renamed it Commonwealth Engineering.

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  3. 1949

    Rocklea factory established in Brisbane.

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  4. June 1957

    The government sold its shares.

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  5. November 1982

    Taken over by Australian National Industries.

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  6. 1989

    Granville factory closed.

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  7. 1990

    Broken up: the Dandenong plant went to ABB and Bassendean to Goninan. See ABB and A Goninan & Co.

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Locomotives by model

Model Class Built at Number Years Notes
GL8CClyde/GM 1700 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering121963
GL18CClyde/GM 1720 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering561966
GL22CClyde/GM 1550 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering271972
GL22C-2Clyde/GM 2400 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering241977
Clyde/GM 2450 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering181979
Clyde/GM 2470 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering381980
CE615AComeng/Alco 80 ClassGranville, NSW501978-83
GL26C-2Clyde/GM 2170 ClassRocklea, with Clyde Engineering451982
CL629Comeng/Hitachi 3100/3200 ClassRocklea861986
GT26CClyde/GM L/3100 ClassRockleaL274-L275

Multiple units and railmotors

Class Built at Number Years Notes
Comeng 1900 Class21956
Comeng/QGR 2000 Class421956Built with Queensland Railways
Comeng 1800 Class12
Comeng/ABB XPTGranville, NSWXP2000-XP2014Power cars, plus most of the carriages

References

'Commonwealth Engineering', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)