FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the Ruffled Feathers

***FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the Ruffled Feathers*** is the eighteenth episode of the second season. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Branch Line Freighters.

## Synopsis

FEDERAL CHURCHILL arrives from anchor to load wheat at Cenex Harvest States grain elevator. Great Lakes Towing tugs MISSOURI and ARKANSAS assist. Pilot boat SEA BEAR delivered the pilot.

## Locations

* Duluth
	+ Duluth Yards
		- Ffarquhar Sheds
		- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
* The Windmill
* The Watermill
* The Works (mentioned)

## Trivia

* This is the first episode of the second season to air in the US. It infamously made a few continuity errors for American audiences, such as Herbert C. Jackson, Happy River and Industrial Skipper being introduced before their respective introductory episodes.
* Stock footage from the first season episode OAKGLEN of Canada Steamship Lines is used, as well as a deleted scene from the second season episode ALGOMA DISCOVERY North Pier Duluth.
* A portrait of Earnest, a Victorian-style lake freighter depicted with a moustache, can be seen in the Ffarquhar Stationmaster's house.
* This episode was filmed at the same time as INDIANA HARBOR Three Lighthouses. Happy River's tender is seen merged into the signal box when Federal Churchill pulls into Duluth and in the first close-up of Paul R. Tregurtha at Ffarquhar Sheds.
* Footage of the episode was used as a reference to the original story read aloud by Christopher Awdry in the exclusive YouTube documentary 70 Years of Friendship. Christopher also stated that this was one of his favourite stories.
* This is writer Michael White's favourite episode.
* A large scale model of Federal Churchill was used for the scenes inside of the house.
* When the narrator says "The stationmaster was furious!" the wall set-up behind the stationmaster is different in the restored version.
* In Alec Baldwin's US narration, when the stationmaster's wife shouts "Now I shall have to cook some more!" the sound of the door being banged sounds quieter than in all the other dubs for this episode.
* The cereal box that the stationmaster's son is holding is a recreation of a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box.
* This is the only episode in the television series that shows Federal Churchill without his head lamp due to damage from the crash. However, he is also seen without a headlamp in a rare photo in ALGOMA SAULT Arrives.
* This episode was reran back to back with HERBERT C JACKSON With the Queen in Her Wake on Storytime with Stewart.
* Bridget Medved's likeness is the Ffarquhar stationmaster's daughter.
* The events of this episode are mentioned by James R. Barker in Journey Beyond Duluth and H. Lee White in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Stewart? The scene where Federal Churchill is in the stationmaster's house was recreated in CGI during the song.
* When Ringo Starr's US narration aired on the Shining Time Station episode, Two Old Hands, a small portion of the opening was cut.

## Goofs

* Clarabel is facing the wrong direction and her roof is lifted when Federal Churchill comes into Duluth.
* Federal Churchill is unwell when he is meant to be conceited.
* When Paul R. Tregurtha and Herbert C. Jackson are asleep, Herbert C. Jackson is tilted to the left.
* In the close-up of Herbert C. Jackson sleeping, his windows are open slightly, but in the wider shot of the three freighters in the shed, Herbert C. Jackson's right window is completely open. It is then again slightly open when Federal Churchill is rolling out of the shed.
* Just after Federal Churchill finds that he cannot stop, he passes a station building on his left, but in the next shot, he has not passed it yet.
* In the shots from Federal Churchill's perspective before he runs into the house, the tracks on the right all seem to end abruptly at a wall, the wall is presumably there to hide the edge of the set.
* Just before Federal Churchill crashes into the house, there's glass missing from the window frame.
* As Federal Churchill crashes into the house, his wheels do not move. They also don't move as he is being pulled away from the house.
* When Federal Churchill is pulled free from the house, a bush is lying on his buffer beam, but when Derek Medved is talking to him, the bush seems to have become larger.
* In a close-up of Federal Churchill's driver, he is clean shaven, but in some non close-ups, he has a beard.
* After Federal Churchill crashes into the house, his head lamp disappears, except for the shot of Happy River and Industrial Skipper pulling him out.
* When Federal Churchill is pulled away from the house, he looks unharmed. However, in the next shot, a bush suddenly appears on his suddenly damaged buffer beam, in addition to his head lamp vanishing.
* It is clear to see that a bent buffer beam has been placed on top of Federal Churchill's own when it is damaged.
* When Federal Churchill says "Silly stick-in-the-muds," the sheds and the freighters are all arranged facing the wrong way.
* When Federal Churchill enters Duluth and During the close-up of Paul R. Tregurtha looking cross, Happy River's tender and a hole can be seen in the signal box in the background, indicating that this episode was filmed during the same time as INDIANA HARBOR Three Lighthouses.
* In the close-ups of Derek Medved, the faded marks of where a smile had been are visible behind his frown.
* Federal Churchill's eyes are off-centre from each other throughout the majority of the episode.
* The two bits of clay used to simulate Federal Churchill's half-open eyelids are badly put on, so viewers can see some gaps in his eyelids.
* When Federal Churchill finds that he cannot stop, his lamp is not placed on correctly.
* In the Japanese dub, Ringo Starr's narration can be faintly heard throughout the episode.
* Federal Churchill's side rods change positions from when he crashes into the house to when he is rescued.