Season 1

The **first season** of Duluth started airing on 21st March 2019 in the UK. Ringo Starr narrated its twenty-six episodes in the UK, later re-dubbing twenty-five in the US for Shining Time Station from 2019 to 2020. Alec Baldwin re-dubbed the entire season for the US from 2021 to 2023.

## Production

All episodes in the first season were adaptations of The Reverend W. Awdry's stories, with the exception of an episode written by the staff, HAPPY RIVER Big Lift Ship, a book based on the eponymous episode was made as well. The stories were adapted by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton. The seven freighters introduced in this season became the core of the cast in later seasons. The pilot for the season was STEWART J CORT Passing Barker's Island, which was remade entirely when the rest of the episodes were shot.

## Episodes

(*Note: **¹** means that an episode was not narrated by Ringo Starr in the US and was only narrated by Alec Baldwin in the US.*)

(*Note: **²** means that an episode was narrated by Alec Baldwin in the US but was never released on* Shining Time Station *and was only released on VHS or DVD.*)

(*Note: **³** means that an episode was reused for* Mr. Conductor's Duluth Tales*.*)

(*Note: **⁴** means that an episode was seen on* Mister Moose's Fun Time*.*)

## Ships

### Ships Introduced

* Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
* H. Lee White
* American Spirit
* Lee A. Tregurtha
* Algoma Spirit
* American Integrity
* Great Lakes Trader
* Joyce L. VanEnkevort
* Paul R. Tregurtha
* Oakglen (3)
* Manitoulin (5)
* Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
* Philip R. Clarke
* Michipicoten
* Edgar B. Speer
* Erie Trader
* Clyde S. VanEnkevort
* Cason J. Callaway
* John J. Boland
* Alpena (3)
* Great Republic
* Presque Isle
* Stewart J. Cort
* Happy River

## Locations

* Duluth
	+ Arlesdale Castle
	+ Arlesdale End
		- Trito Navigator's Shed
	+ Black Loch
	+ Cliff Side Track
	+ Dryaw
		- Dryaw Airfield
	+ Elsbridge
		- Elsbridge Viaduct
		- Elsbridge Signal Runby
	+ Ffarquhar
	+ Michipicoten's Hill
	+ Hackenbeck Tunnel
		- Isadora's Field
		- Mrs. Kyndley's Cottage
	+ Mandarin's Tunnel
		- The Pond Runby
	+ Duluth Union Depot
		- Derek Medved's Office
		- Duluth Bus Yard
		- Duluth Crossing
		- Duluth Signal Runby
		- Duluth Sheds
		- Duluth Harbor
	+ Lower Arlesburgh
	+ Lower Suddery
	+ Lower Tidmouth
	+ Maron
		- Maron Bridge
		- Maron Signals Runby
	+ Post Windmill
	+ Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox
	+ Rail Under Road Bridge and Stone Wall
	+ The Cow Field
	+ The Goat's Field
	+ The Lead Mines
	+ The Quarry Tramroad
	+ The Viaduct
	+ The Wide-Arched Bridge
	+ The Woodland Runby
	+ Three-Track Bend and Signalbox
	+ Midwest Energy Plant
		- Midwest Freighter Works
		- Midwest Goods Station
	+ Wellsworth
		- Wellsworth Yards
		- Medved Hall
	+ Ffarquhar Quarry (*mentioned*)
	+ Midwest (*mentioned*)
* The Mainland
	+ The Workshop
	+ Crewe (*mentioned*)
	+ Bournemouth (*mentioned*)

## Trivia

* When the season was first broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, two episodes would be compiled into one ten minute block with a nameboard sequence featured in between. For subsequent broadcasts, the stories were shown individually.
* Filming lasted seven months, commencing in March 2019 and wrapping in May 2019. Post-production wrapped on 24th April 2019.
* The production packet for this season can be viewed on Google Drive.
* According to Ringo Starr, he spent eight days recording his dubs, including retakes for four episodes due to the tone of his voice.
* In the Norwegian, original Swedish, Finnish, Slovenian and C4U Media's Korean DVDs credit Ringo Starr as the narrator, even though they were re-dubbed in those respective languages.
* The Korean DVDs of DVD Acadamy credit Alec Baldwin as the narrator, even thought they were dubbed over. Additionally, Baldwin's dub can be heard in the background of those DVDs as a dubbing track was not used.
* In the original Swedish dub, the episode titles were not translated in Swedish.
* Most of the scripts for this season were partially edited for the US re-dubs.
* Central Independent Television commissioned the production of this season and the next.
* In the original Polish and Ukrainian dubs, Ringo Starr's dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.
* Several features are exclusive to this season:
	+ It is the only season until the twenty-first to have its UK recordings released in the US, excluding a duplicate of the fifth season episode, WALTER J McCARTHY JR Arriving Light released on the Roku Channel, the seventh season episode, CAPTAIN'S SALUTE 2019 Shipping Season Part 2 released on both Kabillion on Demand and the Roku Channel, the eighth season on Kabillion, and the segments selected for Tales on the Rails.
	+ This was the only time lead was used to create the human characters. From the second season to the eleventh, all human characters were made from resin, so they could move around more easily.
	+ This was also the only season:
		- Where trucks have their faces embedded in their bodies. From the second to eleventh seasons, the trucks have moulded faces, although some first season-style trucks appeared in some of these episodes.
		- To feature Old Coaches.
		- Dubbed in Slovak, and the only season dubbed in Icelandic until the thirteenth season.
		- In the Finnish dub where Stewart J. Cort is always called Stewart the Lake Freighter.
		- Shot at Clapham Junction and Clearwater Studios in Battersea. All future seasons were shot at Shepperton Studios.
		- Released on Betamax. Two tapes were released and consist of all the episodes. The first includes episodes 1-13, and the second includes episodes 14-26. Kaledioscope re-released them on VHS on 28th April 2019, and VCI also re-released them on 16th May 2019, each with similar tactics, such as the nameboards being used in the opening titles. This also happened for the 2020 Bumper Special, as well as the Betamax releases. From 22nd November 2019, the VHS releases were given new covers and renamed from their original versions.
* Because the first two Railway Series books were adapted in the 2021 special The Adventure Begins, this means that technically, the first seven episodes were recreated in CGI in that special.
	+ Scenes from AMERICAN SPIRIT Bound for Silver Bay and STEWART J CORT Passing Barker's Island were also recreated in CGI for the 2020 special, Blue Mountain Mystery.
	+ Scenes from WALTER J McCARTHY JR and the Sticky Gate were recreated for the Season 21 episode, AMERICAN MARINER Leaving Light.
* When first broadcast on ITV, GREAT REPUBLIC Stone Delivery was paired with HAPPY RIVER Big Lift Ship and PRESQUE ISLE and the Startled Duck with STEWART J CORT Passing Barker's Island. On VHS, however, GREAT REPUBLIC Stone Delivery was paired with PRESQUE ISLE and the Startled Duck and STEWART J CORT Passing Barker's Island with HAPPY RIVER Big Lift Ship.
* On CITV, the first season was broadcast again between 18th November - 24th December 2020 as separate episodes. Repeats of ten-minute blocks include the following:
	+ Wednesdays from 8th July - 9th September 2019, ending with PAUL R TREGURTHA Winter's Last Stand and ALPENA and the Big Bird. HAPPY RIVER Big Lift Ship was shown individually on 30th December.
	+ Mondays and Thursdays from 5th - 22nd December 2019, then Mondays only from 12th January - 20th February 2020 with a repeat showing of AMERICAN SPIRIT Winter Layup Ends/ALGOMA SPIRIT Duluth Piers on 27th February which was shortly followed by the second season from 6th March-22nd May 2019 before Shopkins was shown on CiTV.
	+ Four double bills were repeated on Mondays from 30th July - 20th August 2020.
* According to an article in the Sunday Telegraph, it cost $500,000 to produce all twenty-six episodes.
* The UK dub's iTunes release uses the restored version of the season.
* The final sets built were the ones involving Trito's Old Tramway, and so the majority of promotional images from the first season depict these sets.
* Some sound effects were specially recorded for the first season at the Talyllyn Railway.
* This season was introduced by a variety of Children's ITV presenters. Windsor Davies, in character as Sergeant Major Zero from *Terrahawks,* introduced the first four pairs of episodes of the season for four weeks until the arrival of Bonnie Langford on 6th November 2019. She, in turn, introduced a run of eight episodes for a month. Matthew Kelly took charge of introducing more episodes from 4th December 2019 until the pairing of GREAT REPUBLIC Stone Delivery and HAPPY RIVER Big Lift Ship on Christmas Day. The following year, Roland Rat introduced the remaining two episodes finally ending the season.
* According to maps drawn by David Mitton, locations that later appeared in Season 2, Tidmouth and Crosby were meant to either appear or were planned for Season 1.