Series 5

The fifth season of the television series aired in 1998 and had twenty-six episodes narrated by Michael Angelis in the UK and Alec Baldwin in the US.

Episodes

 * 1) Cranky Bugs - Cranky causes trouble for Thomas and Percy.
 * 2) Horrid Lorry - Three horrid lorries start taking over the engines' work.
 * 3) A Better View for Gordon - Gordon complains about the plainness of Kirk Ronan station.
 * 4) Lady Hatt's Birthday Party - The Fat Controller urgently needs to get to Lady Hatt's birthday party.
 * 5) James and the Trouble with Trees - James is careless around some trees
 * 6) Gordon and the Gremlin - "Gremlins" start causing problems for Gordon when Dowager Hatt visits.
 * 7) Bye George! - George causes grief for Percy, Thomas, Duck, and Gordon.
 * 8) Baa! - Percy meets a ram, who manages to help out when a station is trashed.
 * 9) Put Upon Percy - Percy complains that he is overworked and gets into a predicament in the mines.
 * 10) Toby and the Flood - Toby gets in a dangerous position when a dam bursts.
 * 11) Haunted Henry - Henry gets spooked on an old line.
 * 12) Double Teething Troubles - Derek, a malfunctioning Diesel, causes more trouble than he is worth for Bill and Ben.
 * 13) Stepney Gets Lost - Stepney gets lost on the way home.
 * 14) Toby's Discovery - Toby goes exploring and makes several odd discoveries.
 * 15) Something in the Air - Henry ignores Thomas' warning about a dangerous line.
 * 16) Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach - Thomas and Percy save an old coach from scrap.
 * 17) Thomas and the Rumours - When Harold is chosen to take a special visitor around Sodor, the engines fear they will be replaced.
 * 18) Oliver's Find - Oliver makes an amazing find on an old branch line whilst taking the mail.
 * 19) Happy Ever After - Percy makes a "good luck package" for Mrs. Kyndley's daughter's wedding.
 * 20) Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday - The Fat Controller goes on holiday, with disastrous results.
 * 21) A Surprise For Percy/A Big Surprise For Percy - Percy moans about his work in the mines, but he is headed for a surprise.
 * 22) Make Someone Happy - James tries to think of others and takes Mrs. Kyndley on a "mystery tour".
 * 23) Busy Going Backwards - Toad wants to go forwards for a change.
 * 24) Duncan Gets Spooked - Rusty tells Duncan a ghost story.
 * 25) Rusty and the Boulder - Thumper causes chaos when he dislodges a boulder.
 * 26) Snow - Rusty tells Thomas about snow and how Skarloey managed to survive it.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Bill and Ben
 * Stepney
 * BoCo
 * Mavis
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Duncan
 * Rusty
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Toad
 * Terence
 * Bertie
 * Harold
 * George
 * Caroline
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Jem Cole
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * Farmer Trotter (not named)
 * Peter Sam (does not speak)
 * Henrietta (does not speak)
 * Donald (cameo)
 * Trevor (cameo)
 * The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * Nancy (cameo)
 * S. C. Ruffey (possible cameo)
 * Douglas (music video cameo)
 * Diesel (music video cameo)
 * Daisy (music video cameo)
 * The Diesel (music video cameo)
 * Sir Handel (music video cameo)
 * Duke (music video cameo)
 * Bulstrode (music video cameo)

Characters introduced

 * Cranky
 * Old Slow Coach
 * The Horrid Lorries
 * Old Bailey
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Derek (not named)
 * 'Arry (not named)
 * Bert (does not speak)
 * The Ghost Engine (does not speak)
 * Bertram (does not speak)
 * Butch (does not speak)
 * Thumper (does not speak)
 * Tiger Moth (does not speak)

Trivia

 * This is the first season not to have any episodes based on Railway Series stories. It was also the first season not include episodes adapted from stories written by the Reverend W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry.
 * Michael Angelis was not credited in the opening titles for the UK narration.
 * Michael Angelis is credited as narrator in the Hindi narration, even though it was redubbed.
 * This was Alec Baldwin's first season as narrator.
 * This was Britt Allcroft's final season as writer and producer.
 * This was the first season not to air on Shining Time Station due to the show's cancellation.
 * This season is noticeably darker and more dramatic than previous or succeeding seasons, with a crash, accident or disaster in almost every episode.
 * This is the last season to be released on VHS in New Zealand.