A Close Shave

A Close Shave, lengthened to A Close Shave for Duck in the majority of North American releases, is the fourteenth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Duck and the Diesel Engine.

Plot
After being framed by Diesel for telling lies about the big engines to the Troublesome Trucks, Duck sadly goes to Wellsworth and tells Edward about what has happened. Edward assures Duck that everything will be alright and suggests helping him with his goods train, which cheers Duck up.

The two engines work hard all afternoon to make the trucks behave while taking them up Gordon's Hill. Once at the top, Duck says goodbye to Edward and heads back to the station. As he coasts down the hill, enjoying the breeze, he suddenly hears a guard's whistle. He has been knocked out of the brake van, as Edward's trucks have broken away and are racing back towards Duck at breakneck speed, intending to derail him.

Duck hurries through Wellsworth, trying his hardest to outrun the trucks, but they gradually catch up to him on the viaduct and begin pushing him. Just as they are starting to regain control, Duck and his driver see James ahead on the same track, pulling a passenger train out of Crosby Station. Duck puts all of his weight against the trucks, but is unable to stop. He shuts his eyes and prepares for the worst, but gets diverted onto a siding at the last second after being slowed down long enough for James and his coaches to clear the platform and points.

At the end of the siding is a small barbershop. As the barber is shaving a customer, Duck is pushed by the trucks into the end of the siding, comes off the rails, and crashes right into the front of the shop, destroying the wall. Some trucks derail as well, but pay no attention to this, feeling rather pleased with themselves having successfully derailed Duck. As Duck stares nervously at the crowd in front of him, he tries to apologise, but the barber is furious with Duck for frightening his customers, and firmly covers his face with shaving cream.

Thomas arrives to help clear the mess, and soon the Fat Controller comes in to speak with the barber, who is still fuming. The Fat Controller explains that Duck and his crew helped to prevent a much larger accident with James, adding that it was a "very close shave". The barber quickly washes the lathering off of Duck's face and apologises for misjudging him.

After the trucks have been pulled away, Thomas pulls Duck out of the wrecked barbershop, and the Fat Controller tells him he will be returning to the yard once he is mended. Duck is worried, believing that the big engines still hate him. The Fat Controller, however, replies that he never believed Diesel and sent him back to the other railway; the other engines are now sorry and want Duck to come back.

A few days later, after being mended, Duck returns to the shed where the other engines welcome him back with happy whistles, as he proudly takes his place among them.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Duck
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Barber
 * Thomas
 * James
 * The Barber's Customer
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * The First Butler
 * One Enthusiast
 * Diesel

Locations

 * The Viaduct
 * Hawin Ab
 * Wellsworth
 * Suddery Junction
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Suddery Castle
 * Crosby
 * C&B Barber
 * M.C. Bunn
 * Tidmouth Sheds

Trivia

 * A large scale model of Duck is used for the scenes inside the barbershop. The face used for this was originally designed for Thomas' large scale model, although always off-camera.
 * The events were later mentioned by James in the fourth series episode, Rock 'n' Roll.
 * This episode marks the only speaking role of the Barber and his last appearance.
 * The Lynton and Barnstaple van that was used in this episode is currently owned by Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
 * A promotional image shows the barber and his customers looking at Duck before he crashes and the barber putting shaving cream on the customer's forehead by mistake, which may explain why it is there when the customer is shown after the crash.
 * In the original version, there are five shots of the barber lathering Duck's face. However in the restored version, there are only four as shot three is cut out.
 * In the restored version, the scene in which the trucks pass through Wellsworth is sped up.
 * When Duck races into Crosby Yards, the stationmaster's house from Thomas Comes to Breakfast can be seen.

Goofs

 * When Duck arrives at Wellsworth, his whistle valves are missing.
 * The brake van at the back of Edward's train does not have a face at first, but it is shown to have one when the trucks race through the level crossing. The face also disappears when the trucks run through the station.
 * Likewise, when Edward pulls out of the yard at Wellsworth with the train, the Lynton and Barnstaple van behind him does not have a face, but later gains one as the train heads up Gordon's Hill.
 * As the trucks race through the level crossing, a string can be seen pulling them.
 * Both of Ringo Starr's dubs and the Ukrianian dub state that Duck shut his eyes when he was diverted into the siding, yet his eyes are wide open due to a wincing/clenched face never being made for Duck.
 * When the barber says, "No, I won't!" to Duck, he frowns, but when he says, "I'll teach you!" both he and his customers are smiling. Likewise, Duck also appears to be smiling while being lathered.
 * In the German dub, when Duck passes through Edward's station, the line "But the trucks were catching up" is omitted.
 * When James pulls his coaches away from the next station, some roofs of the coaches are crooked.
 * When Thomas arrives to help with the cleanup, a second track appears next to the siding and his eyes are also misaglined as he pulls Duck out.
 * In the close-up shot of Duck when he is being pulled out of the barbershop, studio equipment can be seen in the top right-hand corner.
 * The barber only washes half of the lathering off of Duck's face, but after Duck is pulled out, his face is fully lathered again.
 * When Duck is being pulled out of the barbershop, his wheels do not move.
 * In the final scene, Duck's handrails are gold instead of silver.

Quotes

 * Duck: (Arrives at Wellsworth and speaks to Edward) It's not fair. Diesel has been telling lies about me, and made The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt, and all the engines think I'm horrid.
 * Edward: I know you aren't. And so does The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt. You wait and see. Why don't you help me with these trucks/cars? (Moves forward with the trucks)
 * Narrator: Duck felt happier with Edward and set to work at once. (Buffers up behind and helps Edward push the trucks.)

Merchandise

 * TrackMaster - Duck with lathered face and trucks
 * Buzz Books - A Close Shave
 * Books - The Close Shave
 * Ladybird Books - Pop Goes the Diesel/Dirty Work/A Close Shave
 * Magazines - A Close Shave

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Your Favourite Story Collection
 * Chases, Races and Runaways
 * The Complete Series 2
 * A Close Shave

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

US

 * Better Late Than Never and Other Stories
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas' Useful Stories
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

CAN

 * Better Late Than Never and Other Stories
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures

DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure On the Tracks
 * Totally Thomas Volume 9

AUS

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * Mixy Presents More Favourites
 * The Complete Series 2

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

FRE

 * The Talkative Trains

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 9
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * The Complete DVD Box 1
 * Will Not Stop
 * Tell Me Stories, Thomas

PHL

 * Percy Takes the Plunge

KOR

 * For the Story of Determination

NZ

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 3
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 3

NL

 * Percy and Harold
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Edward, Toby and the Diesels

ZA

 * Volume 4

GER

 * The Runaway and 4 Other Adventures
 * Full Steam Ahead!
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 4

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 2

MYS

 * Percy Takes the Plunge and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Bertie’s Chase and Other Adventures

NOR

 * Favourites From Thomas and Friends
 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

HRV

 * Duck Takes Over

LATAM

 * The Visit of Thomas

DVD Boxsets

 * The Adventures of Thomas

BRA

 * The Earliest Adventures of Thomas

ITA

 * The Brave Locomotive

IND

 * Pop Goes the Diesel and Other Stories

ROM

 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 2

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 4
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 10

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 6
 * Superstar Children's Favourites Vol. 5

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