marine railway

American  

noun

1. a railway having a rolling cradle for hauling ships out of water onto land and returning them.

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marine railway British  

noun

1. another term for slipway

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Etymology

Origin of marine railway

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

With a 112,000-square-foot facility on eight acres of land, complete with a full-service shipyard and 250-ton marine railway, West Bay delivers from 16 to 18 yachts per year.

From Time Magazine Archive

With 36 conventional locks, two sets of flight locks, a marine railway and two of the world's highest hydraulic lift locks, a cruise here can be a real adventure.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tom and his chum had managed to get the Kilo to Ramsey's dock, and over the ways of the inclined marine railway that led from the shop on shore down into the river.

From Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone or the Picture That Saved a Fortune by Appleton, Victor [pseud.]

Beyond the slip was another wharf, a marine railway, masts and spars, and, finally, the distant rise of Beacon Hill, crowned with 2 the glittering, golden dome of the State House.

From Four Afloat Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Water by Barbour, Ralph Henry

He found the marine railway without difficulty but was unable to secure accommodations for his motor boat at once.

From Boy Scouts in Southern Waters by Ralphson, G. Harvey (George Harvey)