George immediately entered a conflict with the engines of the Skarloey Railway in 1961. At the time, Sir Handel was boasting about his broad tyres, which the other engines referred to as "steamroller wheels". Skarloey tried to trick Sir Handel into confronting George to divert his attention. George and Sir Handel met and immediately disliked each other. One afternoon, Sir Handel took a train down the line parallel to the site where George was working. George would not give the train enough room to pass, and rammed his front roller into Sir Handel's train. The train and construction crews argued until a policeman broke them up and a barrier was built between the road and the rail. George's work was finished, and he was taken away, although Sir Handel took the credit for this.