Richard Travithick produced the first locomotive by bringing the locomotive and railway invention together in 1804. Britishers brought this technology to the Subcontinent and in order to augment their defence to stop the Russian invasion on India, a 42 kms long Khyber Railway lines was built by them in 1920s from Peshawar to Landi Kotal at an enormous cost of 6 million Rupees. This is one of the most historical and interesting train journeys in the world today.

The train coaches are pulled and pushed by two 1920s vintage oil fired steam engines to climb 1200 meters through 34 tunnels and 92 bridges and culverts. At one point the track climbs to 130 meters after a journey of 1.4 kilometers. A section of the track is shaped like a W and the train has to move in changing directions. The tribal people travelled free as part of the contract agreed upon when they allowed the British to build the railway through their territory.