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

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funicular railway

There was a 2-year-old toddler, the youngest of the reunion attendees, and an 88-year-old who joined for multiple scheduled events, including a ride up a mountain in a funicular railway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 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

MONTANA, 5,000 feet above the sea, is reached by a funicular railway from Sierre.

From Ski-running by Katharine Symonds Furse

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