 Electric control of a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator in the field was far simpler and more reliable, allowing for a greater distance between signal box and points.Whilst first being common in the United States due to work by the Union Switch and Signal corporation (a division of WABCO), this system was later used in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations, where the Westinghouse Air Brake Company had a presence.In Austria, Siemens & Halske built a fully electric power frame in 1894, which does not rely on compressed air.