Glossary of Transportation Law Terms

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Tackles: The running, rigging or roping used in working the sails with their pulleys. Also an arrangement consisting of a rope and pulley block used to obtain a purchase in shifting a cannon.

Tail Rods: Extensions to the piston rods which protruded through the front of the cylinders so fitted. Tried from time to time during the 1890s and early 1900s, fitting tail rods was said either to save wear on cylinders or to cause it, depending on who was speaking. They were not taken up universally and many locos which had them when built were later modified to remove them.

Tangible Personal Property: Anything other than real estate or money, including furniture, cars, jewelry and china.

Tank Locomotive: A steam locomotive which has its coal and water storage on the same frames as the engine. The design first appeared in 1835 in Ireland. The water tanks are the most obvious feature as they are mounted on either side of the boiler partially obscuring it. There are different types of tank engines, side tanks are the most common. Well tank locomotives, where the tank is hung under the frames, were less common.

Technology: This general class of missions includes all missions designed as technical tests of satellite or ground based systems. Examples include tests of new satellite components, investigations of launch vehicle performance, calibration of ground based systems (such as radar), and demonstration of new sensor technologies.

Third Party Litigation: When a lawsuit is brought against a defendant and that defendant wants to add another party to the suit, the original defendant may file a “third party complaint” which results in a third party litigation or lawsuit.

Tort: A civil wrong; a wrongful injury to a person’s property. There are three types of torts: intentional, negligence and strict liability.

Transport: Transport missions include all spacecraft that are used to ferry people or materials from the Earth to orbit without performing significant research. Missions in this class include space station re-supply vehicles and Shuttle missions whose primary purpose is to carry satellites into orbit for deployment.

Tug: A small vessel designed to tow or push large ships or barges. Tugs have powerful diesel engines and are essential to docks and ports to maneuver large ships into their berths. Pusher tugs are also used to push enormous trains of barges on the rivers and inland waterways of the U.S. Oceangoing salvage tugs provide assistance to ships in distress and engage in such work as towing drilling rigs and oil production platforms.