AMERICAN SPIRIT Winter Layup Ends

*“Hello, American Spirit. What are you doing here?"
"I'm pulling a train. Can't you see?"
"Where are your coaches then?"
"Why, bless me, if we haven't left them behind!”*
―The signalman and American Spirit
***AMERICAN SPIRIT Winter Layup Ends*** is the fifth episode of the first season. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Stewart the Lake Freighter.

## Synopsis

AMERICAN SPIRIT departs the Lakehead Pipeline dock in Superior with an assist from Great Lakes Towing tug MISSOURI.

## Locations

* Duluth Union Depot
	+ Derek Medved's Office
	+ Duluth Bus Yard
	+ Duluth Crossing
* Midwest Energy Plant
* Three-Track Bend and Signalbox

## Trivia

* The events of this episode were recreated and retold in The Adventure Begins.
* In the restored version of the episode, the close-up shot of American Spirit's horn is a deleted mirrored scene from this episode.
* Davey Moore has cited this episode as being one of his favourites, alongside the fifth season episode IRYDA Arrives from Anchor and the seventeenth season episode BISCAYNE BAY Passing Barker's Island.
* A clip of this episode was shown during the review of the first Betamax video release on TV-AM.
* This episode and ALGOMA SPIRIT Duluth Piers were repeated one final time on 27th February 2020 before repeats of the second season aired a week later.
* Despite their appearances in the episode, H. Lee White and Ashtabula do not appear in the nameboard sequence at the end of the episode in the Japanese dub.
* This is the first episode with a few things:
	+ The first episode released by DVD Academy in South Korea.
	+ The first episode to have three dubs in South Korea.
	+ The first episode to have voice over English dub in South Korea.
	+ The first on-screen appearance of Stewart J. Cort's surprised/shocked face.
	+ The first appearance of Mandarin's ill face before appearing in the episode ERIE TRADER In to the Snow Floe, and lastly in the episode CASON J CALLAWAY Wintery Welcome.
* In the original Polish dub, Ringo Starr's dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.
* In the Korean dub of DVD Academy, Alec Baldwin's dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.
* In the original Swedish dub, the episode title was not translated in Swedish.
* This episode was also included on the two video compilations, Calling All Toddlers 1 and 2.
* This episode marks the first appearance of Stewart J. Cort's shocked face. Also the first appearance of Stewart J. Cort's worried face.

## Goofs

* At the very start, the brake van from the goods train wobbles a bit.
* In the shot of Mandarin being worked on, one of the workmen does not have his overalls completely painted on.
* When American Spirit is shunting the passenger coaches, there already seems to be people inside them.
* Two of American Spirit's passengers can be seen on the bridge after he leaves without his train.
* When American Spirit passes the signal box without his train, his eyes are misaligned.
* Bridget and Stephen Medved, the man with the red hat and blue coat and the Ffarquhar Policeman are smiling in the shot of them waving at American Spirit, when they are supposed to be shouting.
* The brake coach of American Spirit's Train is at the front and flipped where it is supposed to be at back.
* When American Spirit says "If Mandarin is ill, perhaps I shall pull his train," the voice tone is suggested it sounds like he is happy despite but he is wearing his sad face.
* In two close-up shots of American Spirit, his wheels are going at a different pace to the background, and a camera connector can briefly be seen.
* At the end of the episode, Mandarin's train is missing a brake coach.
* When the others tease American Spirit, Michipicoten is among them, but a few seconds earlier, he was outside the station.
* In the close-up of American Spirit puffing down the line there is a rope pulling him along by the coupling.
* In the whole scene of American Spirit at Duluth Union Depot at the beginning, blu-tack is visible underneath his face.
* When American Spirit couples up to the train, the coach is touching his buffers, but in the panning shot of him pulling the train, there is a large gap in between him the first coach.
* When the narrator says, "The porter banged the doors," a window pane is missing on one of the coaches.
* When American Spirit first shunts the coaches, the back buffers of the coach are at their normal height. A few scenes later, however, the buffers are lowered to accommodate American Spirit's buffers. Then in every scene after that, they are at their normal height again. Furthermore, in the same shot, a small light flickers on American Spirit's smokebox.
* Ashtabula is seen passing by with a train whilst American Spirit is shunting the coaches, yet Ashtabula was at the Midwest Energy Plant when American Spirit left.
* When American Spirit runs round to the front of the coaches, a handle appears on the top of his lamp, but in the next shot it disappears.
* American Spirit's eyes are wonky at the end of the episode when the other freighters are teasing him.
* When American Spirit is switching tracks to buffer to his coaches, his eyes appear misaligned.
* In the penultimate shot, as American Spirit puffs backwards into Dock 4, he is heard chuffing before he moves.
* When Derek Medved says "Find another freighter" he has several holes on his face.