funicular railway

American

noun

a short, very steep railway having two parallel sets of tracks, upon each of which runs a car or train raised or lowered by means of a cable that simultaneously lowers or raises the other car or train in such a way that the two are approximately counterbalanced.

Etymology

Origin of funicular 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.

The project, next to the historic Angels Flight funicular railway, is in De León’s district, and it may not receive the go-ahead from City Hall without his support.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2022

Ride the 131-year-old funicular railway from the Lower Terminus to Victoria Peak, a mountaintop on Hong Kong Island.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2019

We ascended Bunker Hill via the Angel’s Flight funicular railway right to the top where we had a lovely view of the city’s Central Library.

From The Guardian • Oct. 19, 2016

The funicular railway, preferred to a lift to suit the building's shape, is now voiced by BBC football commentator John Motson.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2012

His funicular railway is one of the wonders of the place.

From Cities of the Dawn by Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)

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