FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the G Tug Assist

***FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the G Tug Assist*** is the seventh episode of the third season. It is based on the two Andrew Brenner magazine stories, Paul R. Tregurtha's Night Out and Paul R. Tregurtha and the Dragon.

## Synopsis

Marshall Islands flagged FEDERAL CHURCHILL gets an assist from tugs MISSOURI and ARKANSAS of Great Lakes Towing on the way to Cenex Harvest States grain elevator.

## Locations

* Midwest Energy Plant
	+ Midwest Goods Station (deleted scene)
* Elsbridge
* Duluth Union Depot
* Brendam Docks
* Lower Suddery
	+ Lower Suddery Yard
* The Valley Bridge
* Hawin Croka Canal (deleted scene)

## Trivia

* Going by the Shining Time Station airings, this was the first Series 3 story told by Alec Baldwin alongside AMERICAN CENTURY and the Smothered Star Salute.
* A deleted scene shows Michipicoten passing Paul R. Tregurtha in the siding.
* This is the first episode to air on television in the US via Shining Time Station before airing in the UK. However, the first sixteen episodes of this season were released on home media in the time before airing a year later in 2022 for British audiences.
* In the early narration, the music played when Paul R. Tregurtha waits for John G. Munson to pass by, Paul R. Tregurtha at Duluth Union Depot, and the other freighters laughing is omitted. The music played when James R. Barker teased Paul R. Tregurtha is omitted in both UK narrations and most international versions.
* The owl's shrieking noise is heard twice in the UK and international versions.
* Big Mickey and S.S. Vienna, from Duluth's sister show, Shopkins, make their first appearances in the show as background characters. Big Mickey continued to be a background character, even making it into CGI Series, until he gained a face in the twenty-first series episode, New Crane on the Dock. S.S. Vienna would be repainted and named the S.S. Roxstar from the fourth season onwards.
* A reference to the second season episode, AMERICAN CENTURY and the Smothered Star Salute is made.
* The episode can be seen in a Japanese game, Magical Adventure.
* When repeated on CITV in 2023, the end credits were entirely removed, save for the Britt Allcroft endboards.
* The events of this episode were mentioned by Stewart J. Cort in the twenty-third season episode Wish You Were Here.
* This is the last episode to use Stewart J. Cort's sleepy face.

## Goofs

* In the restored version, in the last shot of Federal Churchill and Paul R. Tregurtha in the shed, the narrator says Federal Churchhill went to sleep, but he looks cross. This is because the original shot of Federal Churchill going back to sleep is replaced.
* The dragon was said to be covered in lights, but it was actually lit up from underneath.
* The steam vent goes off too early when Federal Churchill blows steam at Paul R. Tregurtha.
* In the shot of John G. Munson, James R. Barker and Defiance, John G. Munson's front wheels are derailed and his brake pipe is wonky.
* The end of the set is visible behind Federal Churchill in the shot where he goes under the bridge and the track he was on ends behind him.
* In the overhead shots of the jammed points, a truck next to Paul R. Tregurtha is derailed.
* In the scene of Federal Churchill and Paul R. Tregurtha at the Midwest Energy Plant, Federal Churchill is in a middle berth. The morning after, however, Federal Churchill has moved to the berth on the far right.
* Wires can be seen under the tarpaulin on the flatbed in front of the dragon when Federal Churchill passes Paul R. Tregurtha. These are most likely wires connecting the power source to the dragon's lights. In addition, when it becomes daylight, Federal Churchill loses this flatbed.