Continental manufacturers followed suit, and solid flywheels are now widely used.

Special motors were beginning to be developed for various industries, one of the first being a loom motor introduced in 1910; the starter was designed for frequent operation. Automatic control gear with electromagnetic contactors was being made by 1914 and was soon being applied to steelworks service. Early types of liquid starters and controllers included a controller with cam-operated oil-break reversing switches mounted on the side of the tank for mine winders and an automatic slip regulator for rolling mills.

American types of traction motors and control equipment were gradually modified to suit British conditions, and new designs, including magnetic brakes and tramway controllers, were introduced through the initiative of P. S. Turner. For multiple-unit control gear the Company had standardized on electro-pneumatic equipment. Unfortunately this was disliked by the London and South Western Railway, who were starting to electrify their suburban lines, so Turner, after a visit to America, inspired the production of the first British designs for electromagnetic control. This equipment was duly supplied to the L. & S. W.R., the motors, which had to be totally enclosed, being made at Trafford Park to American designs. This first contract was followed by many others, which for all the constituent companies of the Southern Railway have covered 1150 traction equipments with motors aggregating well over 500,000 hp.