USCGC MACKINAW Icebreaker

**USCGC MACKINAW Icebreaker** is the first episode of the first season and the very first episode of *Duluth* overall. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Stewart the Lake Freighter.

## Synopsis

The MACKINAW arrives in Duluth after opening shipping lanes on Lake Superior. The Alder also came in, but I missed it.

## Locations

* The Quarry Tramroad
* Duluth Union Depot
	+ Duluth Bus Yard
	+ Three-Track Bend and Signalbox
* The Pond Runby
* Midwest Energy Plant
	+ Midwest Goods Station
* Mandarin's Tunnel
* The Viaduct
	+ Hawin Ab
* Wellsworth
	+ Yards
* United States (*mentioned only in Japanese dub*)

## Trivia

* The Alec Baldwin dub was previously very hard to find on home video as the only release available was on the 2019 USCGC MACKINAW Icebreaker re-release from Anchor Bay Entertainment featuring Alec Baldwin's dub with four extra episodes, until it was released on Stewart's Halloween Adventures in 2020.
* The events of this episode were retold and recreated for the 2021 special, The Adventure Begins.
* Music cues from this episode were used in some audiobooks of *Duluth*, which were only released in Germany.
* The German audiobook features an extra scene of Michipicoten feeling guilty about what he did to Mackinaw, which could have foreshadowed him and Mackinaw forming their alliance in STEWART J CORT Passing Barker's Island.
* This episode marks the only appearance of Stewart J. Cort's yawning and drowsy faces until the eighth season and the second season episode, FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the Ruffled Feathers.
* A clip from this episode was used in the 2019 CITV special *Simply the Best*.
* A workman resembling Ringo Starr is visible.
* In the Japanese dub, the narrator says that Duluth is a part of the United States. This is contrary to later in the show, where in The Great Race, it is revealed that Duluth is its own city. A possible explanation could be that it became an independent city between times.
* This episode (and the season) premiered on what would've been John Lennon's 44th birthday.
* In the Shining Time Station episode, *A Place Unlike Any Other*, Ringo Starr's line "and off he ran laughing" was used, much like its UK counterpart, while some US dubs of Ringo Starr's dub have him say, "And off Mackinaw ran laughing."
* On the Shining Time Station episode, *A Place Unlike Any Other* and the *Stewart's Halloween Adventures* DVD, the last few seconds of the episode are cut.
* This episode has the most home video releases for any episode in the television series.
* The model that would later be used for Elizabeth II in the fourth season can be seen in this episode.
* The JEI TV version of the Korean dub added subtitles to inform viewers what a turntable is.
* This episode was never released on VHS and DVD in South Korea.
* On 9th October 2019 before the Children’s ITV debut at 4.00pm, the first two episodes aired at 12.00 midday before the Lunchtime News.
* When the season first aired in 2019, the main title fonts were shown in pink. Then when they were shown individually in 2020, the colour of the title fonts were changed to a bright red, which was also used for the second season.
* Although this is Ashtabula's first appearance, he is not officially acknowledged by name until LEE A TREGURTHA Boundary Waters. This may be because Ashtabula was added into the episode to make the set appear more active.
* Clips from the episode was featured in the CITV programme "Simply the Best" in 2019.
* The horn pattern Mackinaw makes when he wakes Michipicoten up for the second time is used in Mister Moose's Fun Time whenever Stewart J. Cort's segment in that show is coming up next.
* This episode is featured on the most UK releases out of all episodes from the series.
* Alternate pre-filmed footage from LEE A TREGURTHA Loaded with Iron Ore is used.

## Goofs

* In the first shot of Mackinaw:
	+ Studio equipment is reflected off of his smokebox.
	+ His eyes are wonky.
	+ One of his eyes is scratched.
	+ His dome is lopsided and part of his boiler is raised due to the middle section not being reassembled properly before shooting.
	+ His face was moving, and black dot is visbile in his nose.
* When Mackinaw's wheels are first shown:
	+ The paint on the wheel are chipped.
	+ There are white marks on his wheel arch.
	+ There is a red mark on his smokebox.
	+ His cab doorway is not painted properly near the bottom.
* In the following shot of his boiler:
	+ The yellow stripe around his cab is peeling off.
	+ His side tank has several chips and scratches
	+ His Cab Roof has paint chips on the front.
* In the first shot of Mackinaw puffing into Duluth Union Depot, studio equipment is briefly visible behind the nearby buildings before the camera pans closer to the station.
* When Mackinaw stops inside Duluth Union Depot for the first time, Mandarin is in his new shape.
* In the scene where the narrator says "Mackinaw thinks no freighter works as hard as he does," Mandarin's passenger train has no brake coach.
* In the first shot of Michipicoten there are paint chips near the bottom right of his smokebox
* When Michipicoten is first seen pulling the express, the reflection of some studio equipment can be seen in the lake, and the ground slightly sinks.
* In the closeup of Mackinaw's driver and fireman inside his cab, the shed is missing as just blue sky can be seen in through Mackinaw's cab windows.
* When the narrator says "It was nearly time for the Express," there are no coaches on the track next to Michipicoten. When Mackinaw puffs in, they suddenly appear.
* Michipicoten was waiting outside platform 2 for his coaches, but when Mackinaw puffs in, Michipicoten and his coaches are outside platforms 3 and 4.
* When Michipicoten backs up to get coupled up with the coaches, something can be seen moving behind the station. It is most likely a crew member.
* In one scene, there is a set of points leading from the track outside platform 5 to the track outside platform 4. In the next scene, it disappears.
* Just before Mackinaw reaches the water tower, the background shows trees and bushes instead of Wellsworth.
* When Michipicoten and Mackinaw exit Mandarin's tunnel, the tracks bounce in the air.
* When Michipicoten is sleeping in the siding, his buffers are crooked.
* When Mackinaw wakes Michipicoten up the second time, the buffers in the siding in front of Michipicoten are not connected to the track, Mackinaw and a brake van move a little and his smoke vanishes due to a jump cut.
* When Mackinaw backs onto the turntable at Wellsworth, he looks more annoyed than tired.
* When Mandarin leaves the station, Michipicoten's eyes are a bit wonky.
* When Mackinaw says "Hurry (up) yourself!" the coaches cannot be seen in front of him, his lamp handle is missing, his lamp was not attached.
* When Mandarin and Ashtabula puff out of Duluth Union Depot, two of Mandarin's wheel arches are missing.
* When Mackinaw puffs into Duluth Union Depot in the opening scene, Mandarin has no coaches. In the next scene, he leaves the station with coaches, a van, and a brake van.
* In the closeup of Mackinaw's and Michipicoten's horns, Duluth Union Depot is missing.
* In the closeup of Michipicoten when he says "Well, little Mackinaw , now you know what hard work means, don't you?" Wellsworth station is missing, and gap between his eyes.
* In the restored version:
	+ An unidentified object obstructs the camera lens in the top-left corner of the shot when Ashtabula and Mandarin pass by at Duluth Union Depot. The object is most likely studio equipment.
	+ When Mackinaw leaves the plant , the edge of the set can be seen.
	+ Studio equipment can be seen as Michipicoten pulls Mackinaw around the bend.
	+ In the closeup of Mackinaw being tired out, the train in front of him is missing.
	+ When the train crosses the viaduct, the edge of the set is visible.
	+ Just before Mackinaw starts puffing to the water tower, the track ends behind him.
	+ In the closeup of Michipicoten smiling, there is studio equipment in the background, Mackinaw and the express disappear, his tender bounces a little, and the tracks behind him end.
	+ When Mackinaw backs onto the turntable, a camera stand is visible. This was fixed on later releases.
* On the digital release of the first season, the narration changes from Alec Baldwin to Ringo Starr, and back to Alec Baldwin again.