I understand that the term “Highball” comes from railroads of the past that used to display their train order signal at an open station in the form of a ball(s) mounted on a stanchion. It the ball(s) were at the top, that meant “Highball” and there were no train orders to be picked up or the track ahead was clear. If the ball(s) were lowered, it meant that there were train orders for the passing train or that the track ahead was occupied.
My question is, does anyone know how this term and its actual application transformed into the current definition of “Highball” which is a “signal to go, proceed, depart, or pick up to full speed. Given by a crew member to the engineer”. I don’t believe that many railroads used ball(s) as their train order signal. Therefore, if there is a story, how did this word spread across the industry?
The ball system predates the use of electricity for railroad signaling. My understanding is that it was a common early form of block signal, not just train orders.
If the indication had to be repeated, or “called out”, between the crew members, the word “highball” would just become part of the vocabulary. After the ball system fell out of use, the word and term just stuck around. A lot of words we use today have outdated origins.
The term “lowball” is also part of our language today. This makes me wonder if this isn’t where that term came from too.
When you uncouple a car you “pull the pin” even though link and pin couplers have been outlawed for almost a century.
When people talk about an air brake valve they talk about the “triple valve” even though triple valves haven’t been used in 50 years.
Highball is just another railroad term with an old origin.
Maybe because you were supposed to drink it fast. [swg]
I had to look it up in my bartending book, and it is whiskey and soda or ginger ale, served on ice. If you don’t drink it fast, it will go flat.
I wonder if it was invented in some lounge car along the rails somewhere. Maybe some railroad men off duty in some hole in the wall, would call out Highball.
…And a few years ago…can’t say just when, TRAINS mag. had a picture of one still installed up on it’s pole…Believe it was someplace in New England but not certain about just where…
Actually it was the “Classic Trains” mag. The issue was the Fall 2003 issue and the article was, “HIGHBALL! Old-Time Signals in Vermont” I keep that issue handy to go back and view it from time to time. Otherwise my “halftimers” ( a phrase coined by Dan H. in the Model Railroader Coffee Shop) would put me in the same boat and I wouldn’t remember where or when the article was. [:)]
The “balls” started out as manual block signals. A train would come to the signal, and if it was high, would lower it and pass by. The next train coming from the opposit direction would set it high again. No rule 99 since there was no following movements. When telegraph came along, that changed and the ball could be raides by the telegrapher on order of the dispatcher. If a train was to come from the opposit direction, the ball would have to remain low.
I remember seeing a photo of this somewhere, albeit not in a Kalmbach mag. I think the (still operating, at least at the time the photo was taken) highball signal was on the Maine Central…
And “halfheimers”, doesn’t everyone have that?![:D][}:)]