Railroad Legal Glossary: B

Baby Lifter: A brakeman.

Bad Order: A piece of rolling stock that needs repair.

Bail: By moving the independent brake handle sideways, the engineer can release locomotive brake cylinder pressure that is due to an automatic brake application (a brake pipe pressure reduction). The bail has no effect on brake cylinder pressure that is due to an independent brake application.

Bakehead: Fireman (because his head was near the door of firebox when shoveling coal). 

Beans: Going to eat a meal. 

Bench Trial: A trial without a jury. The judge rules on facts and evidence presented to him.

BIE: Brakes In Emergency; application of the emergency braking system. 

Big Boy: Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 600 ton steam freight locomotive.

Big C: The conductor. 

Big E: A railroad engineer. 

Bighole: Emergency application of airbrakes, usually when initiated by engineer.

BLE: Initials of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union. 

BLF&E: Initials of Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen union. 

Block Occupancy Indicator: An indicator used to convey information regarding block occupancy. 

Block Signal: A fixed signal at the entrance of a block to govern trains and engines entering and using that block. 

Block System: A block or series of consecutive blocks within APB, ABS, ACS, CTC or interlocking limits. 

Block: A length of track between consecutive block signals or from a block signal to the end of block system limits, governed by block signals, cab signals or both. 

Blue Flag: A blue flag or signal that is placed on a car or locomotive when workers are around or under it. When a car or locomotive is blue-flagged, then it must not be coupled to or moved in any manner. The only person allowed to remove a blue flag is the person who put it there in the first place. 

BMT: Brooklyn Manhattan Transit; a subdivision of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) subway.

Brains: The conductor. 

Brake Beam: A cross-piece in the foundation brake gear for a pair of wheels to which the leverage delivers its force to be transmitted through the attached brake head and brake shoes to the tread of the wheels. 

Brake Cylinder: A cast metal cylinder with a piston that is forced outward by compressed air in applying the brakes and returned by a release spring in releasing the brakes. 

Brake Pipe: Commonly called a train line, it is the pipe, hose, connections, angle cocks, cut-out cocks, fittings, etc., connecting the locomotive and all cars from one end of the train to the other for the passage of air to charge and control the brakes. 

Brake Rigging: A term commonly used instead of foundation brake gear. 

Brakes, Automatic: Automatic brakes are the brake controls in the locomotive that regulate the pressure of the brake pipe and apply or release the brakes for the entire train including the locomotives.

Brakes, Independent: Independent brakes are the brake controls in the locomotive that apply the brakes on the locomotives only. The air hose marked ACT or BR CYL enables the lead unit to control the trailing unit brakes. 

Branch Line: A secondary line of a railroad. 

Branch: A portion of a division designated by a timetable. Rules and instructions pertaining to subdivisions apply on branches. 

Brass Hat: AA railroad executive, usually a division manager.

Brotherhood Notch: On steam locomotive, reverse gear hooked up near dead center, light throttle, thus using less steam, pulling light train, making it easier on fireman.

BRT: Initials of Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen union. 

Burden of Proof: The obligation of one party in a suit to prove all the requirements necessary to show entitlement to recovery. If the burden is not met, the party with the burden will lose the issue or the case.