funicular railway

American  

noun

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of funicular railway

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

funicular railway

Most regular guests arrive by the lengthy winding mountain road, or by catamaran from Lucerne followed by a funicular railway, 929 metres long and rising 434 metres.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

For 112 years, the Angels Flight funicular railway has been a witness to L.A.’s growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025

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

You have then the choice of two courses, either to purchase the cab outright and drive it yourself, or to finish your journey by the funicular railway.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, May 26, 1920 by Various