Glossary of Transportation Law Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

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Bad Faith: Dishonesty or fraud in a transaction, such as entering into an agreement with no intention of ever living up to its terms or knowingly misrepresenting the quality of something that is being bought or sold.

Banking Locomotive: A locomotive used to assist trains over a section of line incorporating a long or steep 'bank' or grade. Many banks had permanent allocations of 'banking engines' or 'bankers', which were attached to the rear of heavy trains which stopped specially to pick them up. At the end of the section where assistance was required, the banking engine would drop off without stopping the train and later return to the bottom of the bank to assist another train. In US known as 'helpers'.

Bare Boat Charter: A charter in which the bare ship is chartered without crew; the charterer, for a stipulated sum taking over the vessel for a stated period of time, with a minimum of restrictions; the charterer appoints the master and the crew and pays all running expenses. See Demise Charter.

Barge: Flat-bottomed boat designed to carry cargo on inland waterways, usually without engines or crew accommodations. Barges can be lashed together and either pushed or pulled by tugs, carrying cargo of 60,000 tons or more. Small barges for carrying cargo between ship and shore are known as lighters.

Bell Locomotive: Locomotives in the US are required to carry a bell which is sounded as a warning when the train is moving within station limits. On many locomotives, these are automatically operated. The bell was first required by a law passed in the State of Massachusetts in 1835. Not used in the UK where, unlike many other countries, railways are fenced.

Belpaire Boiler: A design of boilder first developed by Alfred Belpaire, a Belgian locomotive engineer, in 1860, with an improved design in appearing in 1864. This later design consisted of a firebox with a flat top which allowed the use of vertical and horizontal stays. The type first appeared in the UK in 1891 and was standardised on the Great Western Railway from the early 1900s. It was still in use for new locomotives during the 1950s.

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

Bifurcation: Splitting a trial into two parts: a liability phase and a penalty phase. In some cases, a new jury may be empanelled to deliberate for the penalty phase.

Binder: An outline of the basic terms of a proposed sales contract between a buyer and a seller.

Bissel Truck: A two-wheeled truck designed to allow radial movement, where the pivot point was in rear of the axle. Usually fitted at the leading end of a locomotive. It first appeared in the US in 1858.

Blind Spot: Areas around a commercial vehicle which are not visible to the driver either through the windshield, side windows or mirrors.

Boat: An open vessel, usually small and without decks, intended for use in sheltered water.

Bogie Locomotive: A steam locomotive with a 4-wheeled truck (or bogie) provided as part of the wheel arrangement.

Boiler: The enclosure on a locomotive where steam is produced. The boiler must be filled with water almost to the top. When the water boils, the steam it generates forms in the space between the top of the water and the top of the boiler. When enough steam collects, the pressure begins to build up until it reaches a useful working level. It will continue to build up until the maximum pressure is reached. This can be anything between 150 pounds per square inch (psi) and 300 psi, depending on the age and type of locomotive. To get a locomotive boiler up to working pressure from cold takes several hours.

Booster: A secondary steam engine provided on a locomotive's trailing axle or tender to assist with train starting. As a result of the fact that a boiler's maximum capacity for steam generation is normally only tested when a train is running at top speed or working up a long steep gradient, extra steam is available at starting. To assist with starting a heavy train, some locomotives were provided with boosters.

Bow: The forward part of the hull on a boat, specifically, from the point where the sides curve inward to the stem.

Bower: One of the principal anchors of a vessel permanently attached to a cable or chain and stowed ready for immediate use.

Brief: A written document that outlines a party's legal arguments in a case.

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.

Buy-Sell Agreement: An agreement among business partners that specifies how shares in the business are to be transferred in the case of a co-owner's death.