cable railway

American

noun

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

cable railway British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cable railway

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cable railway

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

It’s also home to the Duquesne Incline, a red cable railway that dates to the late 19th century and still transports people up and down the craggy hillside of Mount Washington for $5 round-trip.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2016

Before me I saw the turnstile which led to a cable railway.

From Jacqueline of Golden River by Ralph P. (Ralph Pallen) Coleman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023