Starting from the gravitational potential of a Newtonian spheroidal shell we discuss electrically charged rotating prolate spheroidal shells in the Maxwell theory. In particular we consider two confocal charged shells which rotate oppositely in such a way that there is no magnetic field outside the outer shell.
In the Einstein theory we solve the Ernst equations in the region where the long prolate spheroids are almost cylindrical; in equatorial regions the exact Lewis 'rotating cylindrical' solution is so derived by a limiting procedure from a spatially bound system.