A method of controlling a continuous movement under minimal tensile stress of a stock to be rolled through a series of consecutive rolling mill stands comprising a pair of cooperating rolls, which comprises the steps of
- (a) driving the rolls of each rolling mill stand by a hydromotor having a rotary speed and a displacement volume, the rotary speed of each hydromotor being controllable by a control adjusting the displacement volume of the hydromotor,
- (b) supplying a constant pressure to the hydromotors by a pressure fluid supply system common to all the hydromotors,
- (c) controlling the rotary speed of each hydromotor of the consecutive rolling mill stands at a desired rotary speed before an initial section of the stock passes between the rolls of the consecutive rolling mill stands,
- (d) passing the initial stock section consecutively between the rolls of the consecutive rolling mill stands, and
- (e) when the initial stock section is positioned between each pair of consecutive upstream and downstream rolling mill stands, interrupting control of the rotary speed of the hydromotor of one of the upstream and downstream rolling mill stands between which the initial stock section is positioned, whereby the rotary speed of the hydromotor of at most one of the rolling mill stands through which the initial stock section has passed is controlled at least until the initial stock section has passed through all of the stands.