Recent from talks
The Fat Controller
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is a fictional character from the British children's books, The Railway Series, written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. He is the controller of the North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor, which includes Thomas the Tank Engine among its engines.
In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book (James the Red Engine), The Fat Controller. In the introduction to the 1951 book Henry the Green Engine, his real name is revealed to be Sir Topham Hatt.
The Fat Controller also appears in the television series Thomas & Friends, adapted from the books. In Series 4-7, he controls the narrow gauge Skarloey Railway as well as the standard gauge North Western Railway. From Series 9 onwards, he only controls the North Western Railway while The Thin Controller, Mr. Peregrine Percival, controls the Skarloey Railway. The Fat Controller was usually portrayed in the form of several different static figures made with either wood or lead during series one, and resin from series two onwards, but has been portrayed using CGI from the twelfth series until the twenty-fourth.
The term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories, usually in reference to someone who runs a railway.
In the original books, there are three Sir Topham Hatts, all of whom are direct descendants of one another. A fourth Topham Hatt is introduced as the railway director in the 2025 edition of Sodor: Reading Between the Lines but has made no appearances in the series proper.
Aged 14, Sir Topham Hatt acquired an apprentice job at Swindon Works. While there, he became friends with W. A. Stanier. He came to Sodor in 1901, joining A. W. Dry & Co at Tidmouth. On their recommendation, he became an engineer successively for 3 railways on the Island of Sodor.
Hatt became general manager of the NWR in 1923, was promoted to director in 1936, and was made controller when the railway was nationalised in 1948.
He was awarded a baronetcy by the British parliament for his achievements in railway management. Notably, Hatt was involved in the design and construction of four vertical boiler "Coffee Pot" locomotives between 1905 and 1908, and a drawbridge linking Vicarstown to Great Britain in 1915. In 1953, he welcomed Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to Sodor. He retired the following year, and was succeeded by his son Charles Topham Hatt.
Hub AI
The Fat Controller AI simulator
(@The Fat Controller_simulator)
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is a fictional character from the British children's books, The Railway Series, written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. He is the controller of the North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor, which includes Thomas the Tank Engine among its engines.
In the first two books in the series (The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine) he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book (James the Red Engine), The Fat Controller. In the introduction to the 1951 book Henry the Green Engine, his real name is revealed to be Sir Topham Hatt.
The Fat Controller also appears in the television series Thomas & Friends, adapted from the books. In Series 4-7, he controls the narrow gauge Skarloey Railway as well as the standard gauge North Western Railway. From Series 9 onwards, he only controls the North Western Railway while The Thin Controller, Mr. Peregrine Percival, controls the Skarloey Railway. The Fat Controller was usually portrayed in the form of several different static figures made with either wood or lead during series one, and resin from series two onwards, but has been portrayed using CGI from the twelfth series until the twenty-fourth.
The term "fat controller" has since been adopted in various contexts in the English language, beyond the sphere of the original stories, usually in reference to someone who runs a railway.
In the original books, there are three Sir Topham Hatts, all of whom are direct descendants of one another. A fourth Topham Hatt is introduced as the railway director in the 2025 edition of Sodor: Reading Between the Lines but has made no appearances in the series proper.
Aged 14, Sir Topham Hatt acquired an apprentice job at Swindon Works. While there, he became friends with W. A. Stanier. He came to Sodor in 1901, joining A. W. Dry & Co at Tidmouth. On their recommendation, he became an engineer successively for 3 railways on the Island of Sodor.
Hatt became general manager of the NWR in 1923, was promoted to director in 1936, and was made controller when the railway was nationalised in 1948.
He was awarded a baronetcy by the British parliament for his achievements in railway management. Notably, Hatt was involved in the design and construction of four vertical boiler "Coffee Pot" locomotives between 1905 and 1908, and a drawbridge linking Vicarstown to Great Britain in 1915. In 1953, he welcomed Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to Sodor. He retired the following year, and was succeeded by his son Charles Topham Hatt.