Sir Topham Hatt

*"You have caused confusion and delay."*

-Sir Topham Hatt I

*"You're a really useful engine."*

-Sir Topham Hatt I

## Sir Topham Hatt I

### Family

Dowager Hatt (mother), Grandfather Hatt (father), Lady Jane Hatt (wife), Sir Charles Topham Hatt II (son), Lady Amanda Hatt (daughter-in-law), Barbara Regaby (daughter), Henry Regaby I (son-in-law), Stephen Hatt and Henry Regaby II (grandsons), Bridget Hatt (granddaughter), Lady Helen Margaret-Hatt (granddaughter-in-law), Charles Nicholas Hatt (great-grandson), Emily Helen Hatt (great-granddaughter), Sir Handel Brown I (brother-in-law), Sir Handel Brown II (nephew), Sir Lowham Hatt (twin brother)

### Friends

Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, Edward, Henry, Emily, Rebecca, Nia, Toby, Duck, Bill and Ben, Timothy, Rosie, Stanley, Ryan, Sonny, Diesel, Daisy, Salty, Porter, Paxton, Sidney, Philip, Victor, Skarloey and Rheneas, Whiff, Marion, Skiff, Hiro, Kenji, Mavis, Annie and Clarabel, Charlie, Billy, Terence, Bertie, Bulgy, Cleo, Ruth, Donald and Douglas, Cranky, Carly, Judy and Jerome, Elizabeth, George, Peter Sam, Sir Handel, Mighty Mac, Duncan, Freddie, Duke, Owen, Merrick, Harvey, Millie, Luke, Stephen, Glynn, Shane, Aubrey and Aiden, Tamika, Ace. Isla, Spencer, Henrietta, Hugo, Rocky, Harold, Flynn, Captain, Butch, Belle, Nelson, Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max and Monty, Kelly, Byron, Ned, Isobelle, Patrick, Brenda, Buster, Darcy, Kevin, Oliver, Ashima, Rajiv, Noor Jehan, Shankar, Charubala, Lorenzo, Beppe, Gina, Stefano, Ester, Gabriela, Gustavo, Raul, Marcia and Marcio, Fernando, Hank, Sam, Gator, Norman and Dennis, Hong-Mei, Yong Bao, An-An and Yin-Long, Den, Dart, Beau, Toad, Duchess, Lexi, Theo, Hurricane, Merlin, Frankie, Beresford, Caitlin, Connor, Ferdinand, Bash and Dash, Emerson, Lei, Natalie, Cassia, 'Arry and Bert, Bert, Rex, Mike**All Engines Go!:** Kana, Sandy

### Likes

Controlling the North Western Railway, his really useful engines works hard, his family (including his mother, wife and grandchildren), ice cream, his top hat

### Dislikes

His engines were causing confusion and delay, his mother gives him a white safari hat, Diesel 10 destroys the Steamworks, being chased by a bull, Thomas disappears around the world he travelled to

## Character's Bio

### Full name

Sir Topham Hatt I (RWS)
Sir Bertram Topham Hatt (T&F)

### Nicknames

Sir
The Fat Controller
The Fat Director (formerly; RWS)
Fat Hatt (by Diesel 10)
Boss (by Ferdinand and Kevin)
Hattie (by Junior)
Guv (by Sonny)
Guvnor (by Sonny)

## Physical Apearance

### Hair Colour

Bald (cartoon)
Grey, brown or black (RWS)

### Eye Colour

Brown (cartoon, CGI)
Black (cartoon, stop-motion and 2D animated)
Blue-gray (fanfic)

### Status

Alive (books and cartoon)
Deceased (books and fanfic)

**Sir Bertram Topham Hatt I** (also known as **The Fat Controller**, formerly **The Fat Director**) is one of *Thomas & Friends* and *The Railway Series* characters. He was the controller of the North Western Railway in the Island of Sodor.

## Biography

### *The Railway Series*

Topham Hatt was apprenticed at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works in 1894 at the age of fourteen. During his time there, he seems to have struck up a friendship with William A. Stanier, a fellow apprentice. The story current at Crovan's Gate Works is that on at least one occasion, perhaps more, the future Sir Topham was able to help the future, Sir William, to escape the consequences of what might have been a serious scrape. Due to his training at Swindon, he always admired things Great Western.

He came to Sodor in 1901 and joined A. W. Dry & Co., a firm of drainage engineers, at Tidmouth. On their recommendation, he became an engineer to the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway in 1910, the Tidmouth, Wellsworth & Suddery in 1912 and the North Western Railway upon its formation in 1914. On the North Western Railway, he rose to be General Manager in 1923, Managing Director in 1936 and upon Nationalization in 1948, he was created a baronet on his appointment as Chairman of the Regional Executive.

For A.W. Dry & Co., he built a series of four vertical boiler engines known as Coffee Pots between 1905 and 1908, which were used by the TK&ER. After an Autumn gale in 1908, he directed unemployed miners in cutting a tunnel through the ridge south of Tidmouth. In 1915, for the NWR, he designed a double-tracked Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge of 120 ft span to cross the Walney Channel. Sometime after this, he was appointed a director of the Company.

When the Railway was suffering from a locomotive crisis in the early 1920s, he was responsible for acquiring new engines. During this time, he made one of his rare bad bargains when he purchased Henry instead of the Robinson Atlantic he wanted. He remembered the mistake with sorrow for the rest of his days and was so angry at having been “done” that he would never admit who it was who had swindled him. No-one was better pleased than Topham Hatt when the Killdane accident occurred in 1935. Using his connections with William Stanier, now CME of the LMS, he was able to have Henry completely rebuilt at Crewe Works.

In 1953, when The Queen visited Sodor in Coronation year he had the honour of welcoming her to Tidmouth, having been previously presented to Her Majesty by Viscount Harwick, the Governor, who was also his son-in-law.

He retired in 1954 in favour of his son Charles, whom the Board had no hesitation in electing as his successor. It is no exaggeration to say that the present prosperity of the Railway is almost entirely due to his initiative and resource.

He married Jane, sister of Sir Handel Brown in 1910 and they had two children, Barbara Jane (born 1911), who married Henry Regaby in 1938 and Charles Topham. He died at Wellsworth in 1956 at the age of 76.

In The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine, he was nicknamed "The Fat Director" before his nickname changed to "The Fat Controller" in James the Red Engine.

Two years later in 1956, Sir Topham Hatt I passed away at his house in Wellsworth.

## Personality

Sir Topham Hatt is firm but funny and fair. He can be strict, but with a good reason and he deeply cares about the engines and also shows a fatherly side to them. He is quite a strong character and will remind the engines that he is in charge if they start to rebel against his authority. He does not stand bullying and even though he is usually serious, he does enjoy a good jolly laugh.

Despite his kindness and fairness, however, there are times where Sir Topham Hatt berates the engines for situations beyond their control, although it's usually because he still feels like their carelessness or ignorance played a hand in it. Like any son, he does hold a slight bit of respect for his mother, Dowager Hatt. But like all parental relationships, there are some things he finds more personal than others.

At times, Sir Topham Hatt can be the comic relief character, having high levels of irony and occasional slapstick. He can also be overhasty and forgetful at times and misplace priorities. He also has a slight sweet tooth, having a particular taste for crème buns, ice cream and milkshakes.

## Physical Appearance

Sir Topham Hatt I is a short, chubby gentleman. He usually wears morning dress, consisting of grey trousers, a white shirt, a black tie, a cream, yellow waistcoat, a black tailcoat and a black top hat. He is most often depicted as having thinning grey, black or brown hair and brown eyes, while in the television series, he is depicted as completely bald.

In the fanfic, he has fairly pale skin tone and blue-gray eyes.

## Fanfics

The Secret & Dearest Life of Everything in Sodor

After 30 years of the death of Sir Topham Hatt I, he was appeared in the fanfic, a photograph of him was on the wall in his grandson's office which was in the honour of him.

## Notable Wikis

* Sir Topham Hatt - Thomas the Tank Engine wiki[1]