A funicular (/fju?'n?kj?l?r, f(j)?-, f(j)?-/) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope.
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Speed is suggested in such names as Cannonball, Hot Shot, Blue Streak, Bullet, Comet, Rocket, Meteor, Thunderbolt and Flash. Many trains are named for animals, such, for instance, as Man o' War, Black Cat, Yellow Dog, Bulldog, Badger and Bison.
Some call it a hillside elevator, hillside lift, hillside tram, hill lift, hill tram, tramway, cable car, incline railway, cable railway, hill people mover, chair lift, gondola or even a European funicular.
The speed of the cars is controlled by a braking mechanism on one or more cars on the train. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power, a locomotive or a stationary engine and a cable, a chain or one or more wide, flat iron bands.
Most trains find it difficult to climb hills and mountain slopes. The trains of cog, or rack, railroads, however, can scale steep slopes using a special toothed rail, known as a rack, in the middle of the track.
'Train' comes from a French verb that meant to draw; drag. It originally referred to the part of a gown that trailed behind the wearer. The word train has been part of English since the 14th century—since its Middle English days.
Saluda Grade is the steepest standard-gauge mainline railway grade in the United States. Owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway as part of its W Line, Saluda Grade in Polk County, North Carolina, gains 606 feet (185 m) in elevation in less than three miles between Melros and Saluda. It's maximum grade is 4.9%.