Thomas & Friends series 5

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Series 5
Series 5
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original release	1 September, 1998 – 6 October, 1998
Series chronology

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series of books written by Rev. W. Awdry.

This article lists and details episodes from the fifth season of this series, which was first broadcast in 1998. This season is narrated by Michael Angelis, although Alec Baldwin narrates the episodes for American audiences.

Episodes

#	Total	Title (Top) US Title (Bottom)	Original air date
1	105	"Cranky Bugs"	1 September 1998 (1998-09-01)
Cranky, the new crane, grumbles at the engines and calls them "bugs". That night, a storm blows the shed down onto the engines, and then knocks over Cranky, too.
2	106	"Horrid Lorry"	2 September 1998 (1998-09-02)
Three lorries arrive to help the engines with their duties. The lorries only taunt the engines and cause trouble, proving they aren't as good as they say.
3	107	"A Better View for Gordon"	3 September 1998 (1998-09-03)
Gordon is cross when he comes to a new station that doesn't have a view at all. As he nears it again, his brakes fail to stop him from smashing the wall.
4	108	"Lady Hatt's Birthday Party"	4 September 1998 (1998-09-04)
On his way to his wife's birthday, the Fat Controller's car gets stuck. Caroline helps him but soon breaks down, so now he must ride in George, where he gets dirtier.
5	109	"James and the Trouble with Trees"	7 September 1998 (1998-09-07)
James is boastful about his new coat of paint. But his bragging keeps him from hearing Terence's warning about the trees that are too close to the line.
6	110	"Gordon and the Gremlins"	8 September 1998 (1998-09-08)
A VIP is arriving soon, but problems continue and the others joke of gremlins here, too. Gordon disagrees until he has trouble with the VIP in his coach.
7	111	"Bye George!"	9 September 1998 (1998-09-09)
George the Steamroller is once again up to no good to the railway. He goes as far as putting cement over the tracks. The Fat Controller finally deals with him.
8	112	"Baa!"	10 September 1998 (1998-09-10)
A competition for “Best Dressed Station” is being held across Sodor. But as he is helping decorate Maithwaite, a ram is found in the station as decorations are ruined.
9	113	"Put Upon Percy"	11 September 1998 (1998-09-11)
Percy is upset about all his work. Next day, however, disaster strikes at the coal mines, and an avalanche erupts and poor Percy gets buried underneath.
10	114	"Toby and the Flood"	14 September 1998 (1998-09-14)
Heavy storms have been flooding the Island. Toby is sent to inspect the dam, and discovers a few leaks in it. On his next trip, it breaks underneath him.
11	115	"Haunted Henry"	15 September 1998 (1998-09-15)
Henry refuses to believe in ghosts until he and his driver see that the gate is closed in front of them, and there's a moving light in the station.
12	116	"Double Teething Troubles"	16 September 1998 (1998-09-16)
A new diesel arrives to help Bill and Ben, but they hear that he has "toothache". What they don't realize is that he's just has teething troubles from being new.
13	117	"Stepney Gets Lost"	17 September 1998 (1998-09-17)
Stepney is sent to work at the Quarry, but stays too late. Being too dark, the engine unknowingly ends up in the Scrapyard, where diesels want him back.
14	118	"Toby's Discovery"	18 September 1998 (1998-09-18)
Toby is spooked when he stumbles across a disused quarry. Thomas' tale of the "Old Warrior" ghost doesn't help, but might not be that scary after all.
15	119	"Something in the Air"	21 September 1998 (1998-09-21)
Henry teases Thomas too much after fish fell on him to listen to his warning. Now, Henry has to pay by following faulty tracks that lead into the sea.
16	120	"Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach"	22 September 1998 (1998-09-22)
Thomas and Percy want to help the old coach that's due for scrap. But after a fire burns down the engineer's depot, the engines might have a use for her.
17	121	"Thomas and the Rumours"	23 September 1998 (1998-09-23)
The engines jump to conclusions as Harold flies an important visitor around and they think he'll replace them. But Gordon tries to be better and gets in a muddle.
18	122	"Oliver's Find"	24 September 1998 (1998-09-24)
After causing an accident, Oliver is sent to take the mail. To make matters worse, the signalman fell asleep, so Oliver has to take a much older track.
19	123	"Happy Ever After"	25 September 1998 (1998-09-25)
Percy is to put together a good luck package for Mrs. Kyndley's daughter's wedding. It needs to have something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue.
20	124	"Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday"	28 September 1998 (1998-09-28)
The Fat Controller wants a break from the rails, but all doesn't go well. First, a rude bi-plane crashes, and then their boat, the Sodor Maid", gets stuck.
21	125	"A Surprise for Percy" "A Big Surprise for Percy"	29 September 1998 (1998-09-29)
Percy wants excitement, but Bertie tells him surprises only come when he doesn't expect it. Percy discovers that when, whilst hauling them up a steep hill, his trucks break away.
22	126	"Make Someone Happy"	30 September 1998 (1998-09-30)
Thomas tells James to think of someone else for once. And when Mrs. Kyndley is upset when her sister can't visit, James gladly takes part in cheering her up.
23	127	"Busy Going Backwards"	1 October 1998 (1998-10-01)
Toad is upset about always going backwards, wanting to see things the other way. But some naughty trucks decide to teach him about being careful what he wishes for.
24	128	"Duncan Gets Spooked"	2 October 1998 (1998-10-02)
Duncan jokes that Peter Sam's trucks will haunt him, so Rusty tells him a ghost story about the ghost engine. Duncan doesn't believe it until he reaches the haunted bridge at night.
25	129	"Snow"	5 October 1998 (1998-10-05)
Thomas doesn't think the snow could be any worse, so Rusty tells him about the worst winter, when some trucks caused an avalanche that fell right on top of Skarloey.
26	130	"Rusty and the Boulder"	6 October 1998 (1998-10-06)
Rusty worries that the boulder in the new quarry is watching him and wants him to leave. The next day, the boulder falls and chases him and the others down the track.

Notes

• This is the first season to have something very violent (The Boulder causing the sheds to explode).
• This is Alec Baldwin's first season to narrate.
• This is the first season to be shown as its own series in the US, rather than been shown on Shining Time Station.
• This is the first season to feature the larger scale models of the narrow gauge engines.
• The crash in the episode "A Better View for Gordon", is based on the 1895 accident at Gare Montparnasse.
• Starting with this series, the episodes are entirely original stories, and the use of that of the Railway Series is discontinued.
• the episode "Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach" featred scrap models of City Of Truro (at 4:13), Toad and various other characters seen in both the show and Tugs .