A Close Shave

"Hoorah! Hoorah, hoorah! We've broken away, we've broken away! Chase him, bump him, throw him off the rails!"

- The runaway trucks

A Close Shave, retitled A Close Shave for Duck in American releases, is the fourteenth episode of the second season.

Plot
Edward feels sorry for Duck and asks him to act as a back engine for his goods train. Duck is delighted to help, but when he's running back down the hill, the trucks break away and chase after Duck. Duck manages to gain control, but is horrified to see James on the line in front of him. Miraculously, the points are switched and Duck runs onto a siding and into a barber's shop. The furious barber lathers Duck's face, but when the Fat Controller tells the barber about Ducks bravery the barber cleans Duck's face. As if that weren't happy enough, Diesel has been sent away and the others want Duck back.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Duck
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * James (does not speak)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
 * Diesel (mentioned)

Locations

 * Wellsworth
 * Gordon's Hill
 * The Viaduct
 * Crosby
 * C&B Barber
 * Tidmouth Sheds

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Duck and the Diesel Engine.
 * Trackmaster has released a three-vehicle set based on this episode, including a Duck with a face remold from when his face was covered in shaving cream.
 * A larger model of Duck is used for the scenes inside the barber shop.
 * In the close-ups of Duck after the crash, there is a soup can in front of him.
 * In the restored version, the scene of the trucks passing Wellsworth is sped up.
 * In the George Carlin version, the trucks laugh throughout the whole chase and the runaway theme is different as Duck approaches Crosby.
 * A rare picture shows the barber and his customers looking at Duck before he crashes.
 * In Germany, this episode is called "A Narrow Margin".

Goofs

 * Thomas' eyebrows are missing in one scene.
 * The brakevan gains a face then loses it once the trucks catch up with Duck.
 * When Duck speeds through Wellsworth the middle track has a bump in the middle of it.
 * James inexplicably stops as soon as he starts to leave the station.
 * In both Ringo Starr narrations, he says that Duck shut his eyes, but his eyes are still open.
 * The narrator says that the barber lathers Duck's face all over, but he actually only lathers half of his face from his chin up to his nose.
 * Even though the barber is furious at Duck, he doesn't show it until the Fat Controller arrives. Even then, the only shot where he is visibly angry is when he says "I do not like engines popping through my walls". And, none of the customers seem cross at Duck's unorthodox entry.
 * Duck was meant to be upset whilst being caked in shaving foam, but he has a broad grin on his face.
 * When the derailed trucks are shown, you can see that the slate slabs have been deliberately placed.
 * In the close-up of Thomas' wheels when he pulls Duck from the barbershop, a wire can be seen sticking out near his wheels.
 * The barber washes half of the shaving cream off Duck's face, but when Duck is pulled back onto the rails the shaving cream is back all over his face again.
 * Why would a barber shop be placed right in front of the track?
 * When Duck crashes in to the barbershop the trucks are not derailed but in the next scene they are.
 * The large truck's buffers are placed higher when it's first seen breaking away from Edward. But in the shot of the same truck after Duck's crash, its buffers have been lowered.
 * In the close up shots of Duck inside the barber shop, when he's being pulled out, you can see studio equipment in the upper left corner behind the remains of the barber shop's roof.
 * The truck behind Edward doesn't have a face at first, but gains one when they reach Gordon's Hill.
 * In Ringo Starr's US narration, after Duck complains to Edward that Diesel has made the other engines think that he is horrid, there is an echo in the background. This is audio from the UK version.
 * Nothing is said about a signalman switching Duck to the track with the barber shop.