Thomas & Friends (series 5) facts for kids

Thomas & Friends
DVD cover art
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Original release	1 September (1998-09-01) – 30 October 1998 (1998-10-30)
List of Thomas & Friends episodes

Thomas the Tank Engine & 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 books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.

This article lists and details episodes from the fifth series of the show, which was first broadcast in 1998. This series is narrated by Michael Angelis for the United Kingdom audiences, while Alec Baldwin narrated the episodes for the United States audiences.

In the United States, this season was aired in 1999 on Fox Family. This is the first season of the series that was not aired on PBS.

This is the first season which uses digital filming, and the last produced by Britt Alcroft Productions and Brittwood Productions.

Production

Stories

The show's staff had decided since Series 3 that most of the best stories of The Railway Series had been adapted, the rest involving too many new characters or closely resembling previous stories. With Series 5, the decision was made to write a full series of original, staff-written stories. One reason for this was producer Britt Allcroft's desire to create a theatrical Thomas the Tank Engine movie, and requested that director David Mitton show off his modelling skills. Series 5 aired in 1998, and the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad was released 2 years later.

Some inspiration for the stories came from a former LMR manager named David Maidment. In 1997, Maidment met with Steven Wright about the possibility of supporting the Railway Children charity, and while Wright told him the series' staff commonly received such requests, they would consider. During their meeting, Maidment relayed stories about his railway experiences working in South Wales and as the manager at Crewe station. Days later, Maidment received a call asking if he would allow some of his stories to be used as material – the stories from The Railway Series were frequently based on true events, and Allcroft and Mitton preferred this. Maidment agreed, and was also asked to review each story to make sure that the railway in the show operated realistically. As a result, Maidment received writing credit alongside Allcroft and Mitton. 10,000 pounds ($14,406 in U.S. money) was donated to the Railway Children for his work.

These stories are amongst those adapted:

• "A Better View for Gordon" - the Granville-Paris Express ran through the buffer stop, across the station concourse, and crashed through the station wall; landing in the Place de Rennes below.
• "Baa!" – a ram invades a railway station and attacks some vandals; additionally, the idea of a "Best Kept Station" competition.
• "James and the Trouble with Trees" – rain erodes an embankment, causing a tree to slide down and stand upright on the tracks.
• "Double Teething Troubles" – a British Rail Class 17 diesel stalls while banking a train.
• "A Surprise for Percy" - a runaway in the Garw Valley that occurred during David Maidment's time as Area Manager at Bridgend.
• "Busy Going Backwards" - a couple of "hair-raising" runaway trains in the Tondu valleys that occurred during David Maidment's time as Area Manager in South Wales.
• "Gordon and the Gremlin" – bathwater in a luxury coach splashes around the compartment.

The design for each new character would be chosen by David Eves, and given to David Mitton for approval.

Filming

Mitton shot 2,700 slates for Series 5, the most of any of the series he shot for Thomas. Stock Footage Theme Music From Season 3 and 4.

Broadcast

Previously Thomas had only appeared in the US as a segment on the TV show Shining Time Station, but Series 5 aired in the US as part of the half-hour Storytime with Thomas program. Each episode would include a new Series 5 episode, an episode of Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie, and a Series 4 episode narrated by George Carlin, with music videos and footage of Day out with Thomas in between.

Episodes

No. overall	No. in series	UK title (top) Main title (middle) US title (bottom)	Directed by	Source	Original air date
105	1	"Cranky Bugs"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	14 September 1998 (1998-09-14)
A crane called Cranky causes trouble for Thomas and Percy, calling them "bugs". But one night in a storm, Duck and the big engines are stuck at the docks. Cranky gets knocked over by a old tramp steamer, and needs the engines' help.
106	2	"Horrid Lorry"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	15 September 1998 (1998-09-15)
When Percy shows up late for work one morning, Cranky loses patience with the engines not working hard enough and arranges for three snide lorries to arrive, and take over the engines' work. The lorries bully the engines, particularly Percy and Toby, but eventually, the tables are turned, and the lorries wreck themselves and get sent away.
107	3	"A Better View for Gordon"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	16 September 1998 (1998-09-16)
Gordon complains that engines like him should have a panoramic view from the back wall of the new station. He takes on his first test runs, with empty coaches and he stops at the station just fine. When he takes the coaches for another try, he breaks down before the station. At the grand opening of the new station, his brakes jam and he crashes through the station wall. The last time, it is a success for the 2nd grand opening of the new station, and the Fat Controller tells Gordon that his panoramic view is there to stay.
108	4	"Lady Hatt's Birthday Party"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	17 September 1998 (1998-09-17)
It's Lady Hatt's birthday, and the Fat Controller is determined to get to her party at the station on time. On his way, his car hits a hole in the road. He then gets a ride with Caroline, until her engine overheats. George takes over, until he loses control and goes into a muddy ditch, resulting in the Fat Controller's suit getting ruined. Thomas gladly takes the Fat Controller to Kirk Ronan station, where he gets off. When he arrives, Lady Hatt comments about his ruined suit, saying that she didn't know it was about "fancy dressing" for her party.
109	5	"James & the Trouble With Trees"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	18 September 1998 (1998-09-18)
James is boastful about his new coat of paint, and he ignores warnings from Henry and Terence about trees that are too close to the line. While delivering a goods train of troublesome trucks during a storm, James comes across an old tree that gets blown onto the line in front of him. The tree nearly falls on James, but Thomas rescues him just in time.
110	6	"Gordon & the Gremlin"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	21 September 1998 (1998-09-21)
Gordon is selected by the Fat Controller to give a VIP a tour of the island. However, Gordon's fire does not light and the turntable malfunctions, causing the other engines to believe these problems are caused by gremlins. Gordon disagrees, until he has trouble with the VIP in his coach.
111	7	"Bye George!"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	22 September 1998 (1998-09-22)
George is once again up to no good. He bullies Rheneas, Skarloey, and Percy, then tarmacs asphalt over the tracks where later, Thomas derails and ends up crashing through a barn. The next day, George bullies Duck and blocks his way, making Gordon ram Duck's last truck and send it flying into the air. After hearing about all these disturbances, the Fat Controller punishes George from rolling for a week.
112	8	"Baa!"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	23 September 1998 (1998-09-23)
A competition for "The Best Dressed Station" is being held across Sodor. But Percy crosses paths with a hungry ram on his way to help decorate Maithwaite and later, the station's decorations are ravaged when he goes to take a snooze. At first, the ram is blamed for the mess, but three boys confess they made the mess out of boredom and volunteer to clean it up. A few days later, Maithwaite wins first prize, and the Fat Controller gives a pumpkin to the ram. However, Harold's arrival leads to the Fat Controller's hat getting blown off and eaten by the ram. The Fat Controller then jokes that he wouldn't be able to eat his own hat even if he had to.
113	9	"Put Upon Percy"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	24 September 1998 (1998-09-24)
Percy is feeling put upon after a hard day's work without rest, and to make matters worse, Thomas laughs at him about it. While working at the coal mine one day, some of the troublesome trucks escape from Percy and crash inside the mine, causing it to collapse. Percy escapes backwards and gets trapped under an avalanche, but luckily he is found and rescued. For his bravery, the Fat Controller rewards Percy with a new coat of paint, and Thomas apologises for teasing him.
114	10	"Toby & the Flood"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	25 September 1998 (1998-09-25)
After weeks of rain, Toby goes to investigate a dam on his branch line. As he is on it, he discovers it's about to break and rushes away. On his way back, the bridge of the river floods away with him on it. Harold and Percy rescue Toby, with Harold securing a rope and Percy pulling him to safety. After the dam is mended, a party is held in Toby's honour.
115	11	"Haunted Henry"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	28 September 1998 (1998-09-28)
Edward warns Henry of a misty forest and a spooky old station. Henry does not believe Edward until he sees the forest and the station for himself. The next night, Henry takes a goods train of troublesome trucks into the forest, but the trucks get spooked upon seeing the station, and plunge into a deep ravine due to an unsafe viaduct. The ghost is then revealed to be a fogman called Old Bailey. Henry's crew apologises for ignoring Old Bailey's warning about the viaduct, and to thank him, they arrange for him to operate the old station, in exchange for his promise not to spook Henry again.
116	12	"Double Teething Troubles"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	29 September 1998 (1998-09-29)
When Bill and Ben argue, a new diesel with "teething troubles" called Derek arrives to help. When Thomas tells Percy about Derek, he misunderstands him by thinking he has a toothache, and passes this on to the twins. The next day, Derek breaks down whilst pushing a train, and the twins must pull him back to the quarry.
117	13	"Stepney Gets Lost"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	30 September 1998 (1998-09-30)
Stepney takes a break from working with Rusty and goes to work at the quarry with Toby and Mavis. However, after a delivery with a goods train, he gets lost and ends up in the smelters yard, where diesels called Iron 'Arry and Bert want him for scrap. Fortunately, the Fat Controller finds him and helps him get back home.
118	14	"Toby's Discovery"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	1 October 1998 (1998-10-01)
Toby is spooked when he stumbles across a disused mine. Thomas' tale of the "Old Warrior" ghost does not help, but Toby finds out that "The Old Warrior" is actually an old narrow gauge engine called Bertram and is given the nickname due to his courageousness.
119	15	"Something in the Air"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends magazine story by Andrew Brenner	2 October 1998 (1998-10-02)
Henry teases Thomas after his accident with fish, and refuses to listen to Thomas' warning about the damaged tracks near the beach. As a result, he is mistakenly diverted onto the coastal track and gets into an accident.
120	16	"Thomas, Percy & Old Slow Coach"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends magazine story by Andrew Brenner	5 October 1998 (1998-10-05)
When Thomas and Percy deliver some empty trucks to the smelters yard, they meet an old slow coach due for scrap called Old Slow Coach, and try to find ways to make her useful again. After a fire burns down the workmen's hut, the engines decide to use Old Slow Coach as the workmen's new home.
121	17	"Thomas & the Rumours" "Thomas & the Rumors"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends magazine story by Andrew Brenner	6 October 1998 (1998-10-06)
Thomas wants to help save a children's playground, but when Percy informs the other engines that Harold is flying an important visitor around, they jump to the false conclusion that Harold will replace them. Gordon tries to show he's better than Harold, but misses a red signal and crashes into an unfinished tunnel. The Fat Controller explains to Thomas that the visitor was using Harold to look for a spot to build a new playground, and that Thomas should never listen to rumors.
122	18	"Oliver's Find"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	7 October 1998 (1998-10-07)
After causing an accident with some of the troublesome trucks, Oliver is sent to take the post train for a while. During the end of the post run, the signalman falls asleep, resulting in Oliver being diverted onto an old track and into an accident. When the Fat Controller finds Oliver, they discover an old mansion nearby and plan to rebuild and open it to visitors.
123	19	"Happy Ever After"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	8 October 1998 (1998-10-08)
Percy is given the task of putting together a good luck parcel for Mrs. Kyndley's daughter's wedding, with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Percy manages to find the components for the parcel: Old Slow Coach, a new set of buffers, a borrowed flatbed truck, and a ribbon-decorated Thomas.
124	20	"Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	9 October 1998 (1998-10-09)
The Fat Controller arranges for Thomas to take his family on a vacation around the island, but Lady Hatt, feeling hot and tired, refuses to ride on Annie and Clarabel, saying they are "old and uncomfortable". Soon after, the Hatts face more trouble when a biplane called "Tiger Moth" crashes, and their canal boat gets stuck on a mud bank. Percy rescues them and Thomas gives them a ride home on Annie and Clarabel, who have just been refurbished.
125	21	"A Surprise for Percy" "A Big Surprise for Percy"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	12 October 1998 (1998-10-12)
Percy is bored and wants excitement, but Bertie tells him surprises only come when he does not expect it. Percy's wish comes true when the troublesome trucks break away and he manages to stop them, with the help of the Fat Controller and Bertie.
126	22	"Make Someone Happy"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	13 October 1998 (1998-10-13)
When James complains about having to shunt trucks instead of pulling passengers, Thomas tells him to think of someone else for once. And when Mrs. Kyndley is upset when her sister cannot visit, James gladly takes part in cheering her up.
127	23	"Busy Going Backwards"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	14 October 1998 (1998-10-14)
Toad the brake van is upset about always going backwards, wanting to see things the other way. When Oliver takes him up Gordon's Hill, the troublesome trucks decide to teach Toad about being careful what he wishes for, and break away.
128	24	"Duncan Gets Spooked"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment	15 October 1998 (1998-10-15)
Duncan teases Peter Sam, when his slate trucks break away and fall off a bridge, saying his lost slate trucks will haunt him, so Rusty tells him a story about a ghost engine that crosses the bridge at night. Duncan does not believe it at first, but Duncan and Peter Sam's drivers plan to trick him into going on the haunted bridge at night.
129	25	"Rusty & the Boulder"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	16 October 1998 (1998-10-16)
A new quarry is being built under a mountain, where a huge and mysterious boulder dwells. Rusty worries that the boulder is watching him. The next day, the boulder falls and chases Rusty, Rheneas, and Skarloey before narrowly missing Percy and demolishing a shed. The Fat Controller then orders the quarry to be shut down and the boulder to be moved to a hill, where it can do no more damage.
130	26	"Snow"	David Mitton	Original by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton	19 October 1998 (1998-10-19)
When Thomas gets stuck while trying to clear a snowdrift from a tunnel, Rusty tells him about the worst winter of all when some slate trucks caused an avalanche, that fell right on top of Skarloey, who miraculously survived, due to his warm boiler. After Rusty's story, Gordon arrives with his snow machine to help clear the tunnel, but inadvertently causes an avalanche to fall on him. Thomas laughingly remarks that a big, proud engine like Gordon would surely be able to laugh about surviving a snowfall, since Skarloey did.

Characters

Introduced

Recurring character cast