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
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Duncan
 * BoCo
 * Mavis
 * Rusty
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Toad
 * Terence
 * Bertie
 * Harold
 * George
 * Caroline
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * Jem Cole
 * Farmer Trotter (not named)
 * Peter Sam (does not speak)
 * Henrietta (does not speak)
 * Donald (cameo)
 * Trevor (cameo)
 * Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth (cameo)
 * The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * Nancy (cameo)
 * The Storyteller (cameo)
 * S. C. Ruffey (possible cameo)
 * Douglas (music video cameo)
 * Sir Handel (music video cameo)
 * Duke (music video cameo)
 * Diesel (music video cameo)
 * Daisy (music video cameo)
 * The Diesel (music video cameo)
 * Bulstrode (music video cameo)
 * The Policeman (music video cameo)
 * Queen Elizabeth II (music video cameo)
 * Dilly (music video cameo)
 * The Chinese Dragon (music video cameo)

Characters introduced

 * Old Slow Coach
 * Cranky
 * The Horrid Lorries
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Old Bailey
 * Derek (not named)
 * 'Arry and Bert ('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 by Wilbert 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 Angus Wright's last season as executive producer.
 * This was David Maidment's only season as railway consultant and writer.
 * 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 most episodes.
 * Starting with this season up to Season 12, the brake sound effect from the 1964 film, The Train would be used when the engine brake.
 * This is the last season to be released on VHS in New Zealand.
 * This was the last season to be shown on Cartoon Network in the UK; however episodes would still be shown on the channel until 2001.