You may have noticed the PDD Drone has come out of hibernation recently. Here is a quick video of Ely’s Peak on the western edge of town. Yes, we did fly the drone through the entire tunnel. It was a bit hairy due to the darkness and the boulders that kept jumping out at our feet. The drone was wearing a small headlamp but it didn’t help much.

The Ely’s Peak rail tunnel was constructed 1912 to extend the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway from Duluth to Virginia. The tunnel was constructed through the south edge of Ely’s Peak to make way for the railway. The tunnel, abandoned in the 1980s, is 520 feet long and was cut on a 7-degree curve.

The job was said to be difficult from the start. Chief Engineer Hazen of the Duluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific and Resident Engineer Harbolt were in immediate charge. Foley, Welch & Stewart, was the original contractor and sublet the contract to the O’Connell company which eventually had to call in the Fort Wayne Electric Company to assist in the project, because of the exceptional hardness of the rock, which needed the electric drill equipment to complete the project.

Drone Video By Liftoff Aerials