Bye George!

**Bye George!** is the ninth episode of the fifth season and the 118th episode overall.

## Plot

George had been working with the little engines and is waiting for Percy to take him to a new workplace. George is insulting Skarloey and Rheneas when Percy arrives. When they leave, the little engines are pleased to see George go. Percy however is annoyed when George grumbles all the way to the old narrow gauge line, which is being turned into a new road, since the line had hardly been used. Percy is still fuming when he meets Thomas, who advises him to ignore George's rude remarks.

George is enjoying himself as he paves over the ground under the dismantled rails, when Thomas races by. George calls to him to admire his work, but Thomas takes no notice. George feels insulted and yells to Thomas he is a useless blue puffball, but Thomas still does not hear. Believing that he was ignored, George vows to pay Thomas back.

Upon reaching the Hawin Lake Crossing that intersects the Peel Godred Branch Line, George deliberately tells the workmen to tarmac it, knowing that they had not properly finished it. Thomas soon runs through on the same line with a train of iron girders; the signalman has forgotten to warn his driver about the tarmaced crossing, and had fallen asleep. Thomas sees the signal is green and thinks they do not need to stop, but his driver sees the tarmacked crossing and cries out that they do. But it is too late, and Thomas ends up derailing and crashes into Hawin Lake.

The next day, Percy explains to Gordon what had happened with his experience with George, but the big engine takes no notice. Later on, George is working in Crosby Yards, when Duck arrives with some empty trucks. Unfortunately, George is blocking Duck's way while the last truck is still on the points to the main line and the signalman has already set the points for Gordon. Despite Duck trying to tell George to move so he can clear the main line for Gordon, George stubbornly refuses. Before Gordon and the express can be alerted, Gordon (who is already in a hurry) rushes through and hits the truck, launching it into the air and smashing to pieces on the ground to Duck's horror.

At the next station, Gordon is worried about The Fat Controller being cross with him. He *is* cross but *not* with Gordon as thankfully, the Fat Controller knows that it was not Gordon or Duck's fault and declares that whoever is behind all the trouble on the railway will have to answer to him. A few days later, George is found out and punished with being sent to saw wood at the timber yard for an entire week, leaving him feeling miserable. Thomas and Percy arrive to see him and despite the fact that Thomas jokes that George will just be rude as before once his punishment is over, George sports a smile that indicates he readily learned his lesson.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Gordon
* Percy
* Duck
* Skarloey
* Rheneas
* George
* The Fat Controller
* Edward *(cameo)*
* Butch *(cameo)*

## Locations

* Crovan's Gate Sheds
* Cronk Abbey
* Hawin Lake Crossing
* Ffarquhar Yards
* Hawin Lake Station
* Tidmouth Yards
* Crosby
* Crosby Yards
* Wellsworth
* The Timber Mill

## Trivia

* This episode marks George's last speaking role so far.
* According to the official 1998 website, George had his roller taken away for a while after this episode.