When the train went inside the Khojak tunnel, either the King himself or some one from his party got alarmed at the long smoky tunnel and pulled the communications cord. The pass reaches its crest at Shelabagh railway station at an altitude of 5394 feet above seal level. The photo to the right shows Chaman side entrance of Khojak tunnel. The name of towns here however, give a false impression of this area being very green. On the eastern entrance of the tunnel there is a very small settlement called Shelabagh. The construction of Sibi-Quetta-Chaman railway line was planned in 1857-58 with the ultimate aim of taking it to Kandahar, and forestalling the threat of Russian offensive in India. The Khojak Tunnel is on the Chaman Extension Railway, which opened in September 1891 to link Quetta with Chaman on the Afghan frontier. Kalat was a semi-autonomous area of Baluchistan in those days and the ruler used the title 'Khan'. In the honour of the distinguished guests, which we were, the seat of the trolley was made more comfortable by putting a blanket on the wooden bench. Taking a trip through famous landmarks of Pakistan Railway network has remained a favourite topic at ATP (All Things Pakistan). It took 20 minutes to restart the train and get it going again. The following photo is also circa 1910 and shows a ceremony going on at the tunnel entrance. Work began in 1879. Majestic Balochistan, Sibbi Mela 2019 Pictures by Behroze Amjad. At the time of construction of this tunnel, there was no skilled lobour available for the job in India. Also see Agha Waseem Ahmed's photographs of the Quetta - Chaman line. As soon as the train crossed this hump, this bell used to ring and train engineer would know that he had reached the center of the tunnel. Construction entrance of Khojak tunnel, Shelabagh side, 1889, 5-rupee note of Pakistan with Khojak tunnel image. The photo to the right shows the tunnel entrance from Quetta side. The Vice-Regal train to Chaman consisted of 4 steam locomotives and 12 coaches. It is called the Khojak tunnel. These mirror trollies are housed at a shed near the tunnel. Khojak Tunnel was a railway tunnel in the Khojak Pass, which was situated on the railway line between Quetta and Chaman in Quetta-Pishin District, Baluchistan. Built 128 years ago, in 1891, the Khojak Tunnel lies under the Khojak Pass, around 113 km from Quetta in Balochistan. The official web site of Indian Railways is: other articles by Owais Mughal on Pakistan, Couplings to the Khyber, by P.S.A. Note how brick deposits to be used for tunnel lining are laying on the ground. In the second attempt the error was corrected and both tunnels met in the center, however, it created a very distinguished hump (crest) in the center of the tunnel. See other articles by Owais Mughal on Pakistan. It is mostly without any vegetation. The present city of Zhob had its earlier name Fort Sandeman named after him. Since its construction, the tunnel has been lit up using huge concave mirrors at the entrance; placed at an angle to reflect the sunlight into the tunnel. Sandeman invited British viceroy, Lord Lansdowne to meet the Khan of Kalat in 1889. The there were five more tunnels to be built in the area besides the Khojak Tunnel. Built 115 years ago (September 1891), it was then the fourth longest tunnel in the world and to date it is the longest tunnel in Pakistan. Before 1947 there was a daily fruit train from Chaman equipped with ice-packed refrigerated vans which took fruit to places as far away as Calcutta and Chennai (the then Madras). This light was bright enough that I had to request them to stop reflecting it so that I could take some photogrpahs, in which I wanted to have dark background, to show the inside of the tunnel. These mirrors are placed at the tunnel entrance and sunlight is reflected into the tunnel while maintenance work is carried out. Like many other legends, this one about the origin of the name may be purely fictional but the tunnel itself, which stands as a living monument of the Britishers' engineering skill, industry and commitment, is a fact undoubted, enchanting and inspiring. During the construction phase, a temporary trolley incline was used to transfer the construction men and material up and over the pass. The trolley was pulled up by a rope. Khojak Tunnel was once the 4th longest tunnel in the world and still is the longest tunnel built in Pakistan. It is called the Khojak tunnel. The Khojak Tunnel is largely forgotten but is an essential part of the subcontinent’s history The 3.9km tunnel was constructed from 1888 to 1891 under the Khojak Pass, and the tunnel … This photo was first published in 1910 by Mullick Brothers of Quetta. The tunnel is located between the towns of Sanzala and Shelabagh. Photographer is William Henry Jackson. The photo to the right shows the fortified entrance to Khojak Tunnel. The mirrors lit the whole tunnel and it was a great idea to produce light without any fuel or machine. It was also featured on the 5 rupee note that was later replaced by a coin. Built 128 years ago, in 1891, the Khojak Tunnel lies under the Khojak Pass, around 113 km from Quetta in Balochistan. The photo to above left shows the western end of Khojak Tunnel in 1895. In December of 1927 King Amanullah of Afghanistan and his queen started on a seven-month official visit to India, Egypt and Europe. Built in the historic Khojak pass, the tunnel is located some 113km from Quetta on the Quetta-Chaman Railway line. A British photographer Fred Bremner who was there to photograph the occasion also took some photos of the under construuction Khojak Tunnel.