Interlocking: Tesch, MI

Tesch was a rural crossing of three railroad lines in Delta County, west of Escanaba. The C&NW Ore Subdivision crossed the Soo Line's main line here. A third line, the C&NW Felch Branch also crossed here but was lightly used. The tower is gone today, but you can still see footings as well as the routes of the three lines.

Photo info: Top, the interlocking tower at Tesch, which was a rural crossing of three lines. [Mark Worrall Collection] 2nd photo, another photo of Tesch with an ore train passing through. 3rd photo, a broader view of the interlocking plant in 1971. [Ed Selinsky, C&NW Historical Society]

Notes

This was called Felch Junction on the Soo Line. This was a Saxby & Farner mechanical interlocking.

Time Line

April, 1914. Pursing the Soo Line robbers near Tesch late last night, Marshall Louis Danielson of Gladstone was shot down with a bullet through the hips. The robbers had fled from the Main Hotel in Escanaba and came to Tesch. The police lied in wait for them. Officer Danielson called out to them to halt; and the robbers opened fire. The first whizzed by his ear and the second caught him in the hip. He was rushed to Laing hospital in Escanaba. A call was sent for 25 additional deputies to scour the woods and patrol all the roads and highways in the vicinity of Tesch. Throughout last night, they tried to capture the most desperate highwaymen ever to visit the peninsula. Sheriff Curran arranged yesterday for the immediate shipment of a trained bloodhound from Mt. Clemens to this city and it is expected the dog will be received here this morning to be placed on the trail of the fugitive. [EDP-1934-0417]

1918. The C&NW had an operator here on the 1st anf 2nd shifts. [TRT]

1921. The interlocking tower at Tesch, destroyed by fire several weeks ago, probably will be replaced before the opening of ore season, it was stated unofficially in railroad circles yesterday. Tesch is the crossing of three railway lines, the Felch branch and the former EIM&W both property of the Chicago & Northwestern, and the Soo Line. In the absence of the signal equipment it is not an interlocking station however at present. The loss of this season is not material, but it will attain far greater importance when ore traffic on the two Northwestern branches "opens up". [EMP-1921-0325]

1944. The Joseph Frossard family moved in the Section House at Tesch last week. Mr. Frossard is the foreman for the Felch line of the C&NW railroad. [EDP-1944-1019]

1962. The State Administrative Board today approved contracts totaling $67,605 for installation of railroad highway signals in Delta, Ontonagon and Monroe counties. The C&NW was awarded $9,817 and the Soo Line $7,337 to jointly install new flasher signals at their crossings with County Road 569. The crossing has no signals now. [EDP-1962-0505]

1962. The William Mueller Co. had a "concentration yard" at Tesch (near Schaffer). Mueller was involved in the properties of the Wisconsin Land & Lumber Co. [EDP-1962-1022] No other information is available.