cable railway

American  

noun

1. a railway on which the cars are pulled by a moving cable under the roadway.

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cable railway British  

noun

1. a railway on which individual cars are drawn along by a strong cable or metal chain operated by a stationary motor

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Etymology

Origin of cable railway

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

To reach it, many would ride on the funicular - a type of cable railway - which had a stop just for hotel residents.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2025

A family in the U.K. has one of the country’s smallest funicular railways – a type of cable railway system on an incline – at their home.

From Fox News • Jan. 8, 2022

The funicular, or cable railway built on an incline, has a storied past.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2017

Travel in an old-timey cable railway up Mount Washington for a phenomenal view overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.

From Washington Post • Jul. 21, 2016

Below Camino we pass near to Pino Grande, where the great cable railway carries loaded cars of logs across the deep canyon of the American River.

From The Lake of the Sky Lake Tahoe in the High Sierras of California and Nevada, its History, Indians, Discovery by Frémont, Legendary Lore, Various Namings, Physical Characteristics, Glacial Phenomena, Geology, Single Outlet, Automobile Routes, Historic Towns, Early Mining Excitements, Steamer Ride, Mineral Springs, Mountain and Lake Resorts, Trail and Camping Out Trips, Summer Residences, Fishing, Hunting, Flowers, Birds, Animals, Trees, and Chaparral, with a Full Account of the Tahoe National Forest, the Public Use of the Water of Lake Tahoe and Much Other Interesting Matter by James, George Wharton