Khyber Ropeway Company

Khyber Ropeway Company 1919 to c 1925

In 1925 the following was written:

"Ropeway to be Dismantled
A large part of the Khyber ropeway, which , since its erection in 1919 has handled a maximum of 200 tons of goods per day, is to be dismantled owing to difficulties with the Afghans. The total length of the ropeway is 19 miles".

The ropeway system appears to have been run by the Khyber Ropeway Company, part of the Royal Army Service Corps

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in a House of Lords debate 31 March 1921 said

"Two years ago I was delighted to find that the Government of India carried out a recommendation which I made that there should be a wire ropeway in the Khyber Pass. This has been completed, and has lately taken over twenty tons of stores a day to the summit "

The King’s College London , Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives website has a catalogue reference "Douglas-Scott-Montagu 7/42 1918 Apr 10 Memoranda, Articles and Reports: Report by Montagu and Capt S Limby on the use of wire ropeways on the North West Frontier and hill stations. Ref S80 QMG. Printed 4 pp and map of proposed road and ropeway Makeland District (2 copies)"

The King’s College London , Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives website has a catalogue reference " Liddell: 15/3/167 1910-1936 :Journal articles relating to British defence in India, including …..'The Khyber Ropeway Company' by Lt Col Richard Parry Crawley in Royal Army Service Corps Quarterly [1931]". This journal appears to be Volume 1 New Series which is also available at the Imperial War Museum.

Photographs and postcards

• Two photograph from the National Army Museum collection
  • The ropeway transit system, Landi Kotal, 1919 NAM. 1963-09-633-4
  • The ropeway transit system at Landi Kotal, c 1919 Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes. NAM. 1963-09-633-12
• Postcard: Khyber Water Works Showing the Highest Pole of Ropeway (Scroll down the page for larger version) ebay Picture Postcards Limited