What does High ball mean?

Question

What does High ball mean?

Answer 1

Just as Andy says.  First used by actually running a ball up to the top of a mast, visible at some distance.  You have seen the "high" ball.

The term has a general connotation: clear, safe, proceed, a general "everything is O.K."

But, the term can be used as a verb, as in to "highball" something, which can mean, "forget about it,"  "you don't have to do it," or "you're relieved of responsibility or other instructions."

For example, in some yards some switches are required to be kept to a "normal" position, requiring that someone reline the switch after his train has passed over it.  The yardmaster may relieve a crew of this requirement by saying, "Highball the gates," meaning, "you don't have to worry about the switch alignment behind your train."

In most cases handbrakes must be applied when leaving equipment unattended.  But, again in a yard, the yardmaster may say, "Highball the brakes," meaning "you don't have to set them, we (yard personnel) are taking responsibility --- disregard other information to the contrary."

Any way you look at it, a "highball" is a good thing, including those off-duty type highballs...

Answer 2

High ball is an old time reference to a signal used to tell train crews it was ok to leave and the track was clear ahead.There was a pole with a ball and when the ball was raised to the top it was called a high ball and the train would leave.We still use the term but the pole and ball are now part of railroad history.Now it's used to tell a train everything is ok and go on at full speed ahead.

Thank you Bob i didn't feel like typing all that lol

Answer 3

a drink a high fly ball