Sir Bertram Topham Hatt II

## Sir Bertram Topham Hatt

**Sir Bertram Topham Hatt** is the current controller of the North Western Railway, starting from 1958 to the present day. He assumed the position after his father retired in 1957.

## Biography

Sir Bertram Topham Hatt is strict but fair like his father. He can be strict, but with a good reason and he deeply cares about his 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 Bertram Topham Hatt berates the engines for situations beyond their control, although it is usually because he still feels like their carelessness or ignorance played a hand in it. Like any son, Bertram 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.

Bertram took over the railway in 1958 when his Father retired. Throughout his time he began to make improvements to the railway, planned by his father. He began acquiring new engines from other railways, and was also fond of rediscovering old, abandoned locations. He was responsible for the construction of the Miniature Arlesdale Railway between 1968/9 and for establishing the ballast consortium which uses it. He was also responsible for saving Nia from the Kenya Uganda Railway in 1974 after Thomas brought her back from his worldwide tour.

At times, Sir Bertram 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 misplaced priorities. He also has a slight sweet tooth, having a particular taste for cream buns. That being said, he and his father also show a distinctly more fatherly side to his engines.

## Attire

Sir Bertram Topham Hatt is a short, chubby gentleman. He usually wears a morning dress, consisting of grey trousers, a white shirt, a black tie, a yellow waistcoat, a black tailcoat and a black top hat. He usually wears the same outfit as his father, but with a plain top hat, a handkerchief and a yellow waistcoat instead. He is also depicted as completely bald, while Sir Topham Hatt had thinned brown hair.

## Engines Acquired

* Stepney *(1959; temporarily)*
* Bowler *(1959; temporarily)*
* Pug *(1959; temporarily)*
* Derek *(1960; temporarily)*
* 'Arry and Bert *(1960)*
* Victor *(1960)*
* Charlie *(1960)*
* Salty *(1961)*
* Harvey *(1961)*
* Timothy *(1961)*
* Marion *(1961)*
* Emily *(1962)*
* Arthur *(1962)*
* Diesel *(1962; owned)*
* Murdoch *(1962)*
* Molly *(1964)*
* Neville *(1964)*
* Dennis *(1964)*
* Rosie *(1964)*
* Billy *(1965; temporarily)*
* Sidney *(1965)*
* Stanley *(1965)*
* Flora *(1965)*
* Freya *(1965)*
* Scruff *(1965)*
* Diesel 10 *(1965)*
* Belle *(1965)*
* Paxton *(1966)*
* Winston *(1966)*
* Den *(1966)*
* Dart *(1966)*
* Norman *(1966)*
* Stafford *(1966)*
* Porter *(1967)*
* Gator *(1967; temporarily)*
* Philip *(1970)*
* Ryan *(1971)*
* Hugo *(1972; visited)*
* Nia *(1974)*
* Rebecca *(1975)*
* James (52) *(1976)*

## Appearances

### Season 4

* Four Little Engines *(mentioned)*
* Thomas and Stepney *(mentioned)*
* Bowled Out
* Henry and the Elephant
* Thomas and the Special Letter
* Fish
* Stop Thief!
* Mind That Bike! *(mentioned)*
* Mavis and the Lorry
* Toby Takes the Road
* Special Attraction

### Season 5

* Cranky Bugs
* A Better View For Gordon
* Lady Hatt’s Birthday Party
* James and the Trouble With Trees
* Gordon and the Gremlin
* Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach
* Thomas and the Rumours
* Bye George!
* Baa!
* Put Upon Percy
* Happy Ever After
* The Fat Controller’s Holiday
* Double Teething Troubles
* Make Someone Happy
* Something in the Air
* A Surprise For Percy
* Heroes
* Stepney Gets Lost
* Haunted Henry

### Season 6

* The World’s Strongest Engine
* Salty’s Secret
* Harvey to the Rescue
* No Sleep For Cranky
* A Bad Day For Harold the Helicopter
* Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry
* Jack Jumps In *(mentioned)*
* Thomas the Jet Engine
* James and the Red Balloon
* Percy’s Chocolate Crunch
* Thomas, Percy and the Squeak
* Twin Trouble
* Edward the Very Useful Engine
* Gordon Takes a Tumble
* The Fogman
* Jack Frost

### Season 7

* Emily’s New Coaches
* Bill, Ben and Fergus *(mentioned)*
* James and the Queen of Sodor
* The Spotless Record
* Best Dressed Engine *(mentioned)*
* Bulgy Rides Again
* Something Fishy
* Harold and the Flying Horse
* Gordon and Spencer
* The Grand Opening
* Fergus Breaks the Rules
* Salty’s Stormy Tale
* Edward’s Brass Band
* Toby’s Windmill
* Peace and Quiet
* Three Cheers For Thomas
* Bad Day at Castle Loch
* Not So Hasty Puddings
* Snow Engine

### Season 8

* Thomas to the Rescue
* Percy’s Big Mistake
* Oliversaurus
* Edward the Great
* Emily’s New Route
* Who’s the Boss? *(mentioned)*
* Too Hot For James
* Jack Owns Up
* Emily Making a Fuss
* Buster 1, Moles 0 *(mentioned)*
* The Lightning Tree
* Spic and Span
* Halloween
* Thomas and the Fireworks Display
* As Good As Gordon
* James Goes Too Far

### Season 9

* Percy and the Oil Painting
* Molly’s Special Special *(does not speak)*
* Respect For Gordon *(mentioned)*
* Molly and Neville
* Peter Sam and the Old Mine *(mentioned)*
* Nelson Gets Carried Away
* Cry Wolf
* Scaredy, Scaredy *(mentioned)*
* Thomas and the Birthday Mail
* Mud Glorious Mud
* Edward Strikes Out
* Emily’s Rubbish
* Dream On
* Hector the Horrid
* Don’t Be Silly, Billy
* The Great Discovery
* Tram Trouble

### Season 10

* Hero of the Rails
* The Suddery Statue
* Tickled Pink
* Play Time
* Charlie in Deep Water
* Victor Says Yes
* James the Rubbish Engine
* Molly the Hero
* Big Belle
* Too Many Fire Engines
* Blue Mountain Mystery
* Welcome Stafford
* Happy Birthday Sir!

### Season 11

* King of the Railway
* The Lost Puff
* Wayward Winston
* Gordon Runs Dry *(mentioned)*
* Steamie Stafford
* The Thomas Way
* The Phantom Express
* Percy’s Lucky Day
* Bill or Ben?
* The Missing Christmas Decorations *(does not speak)*
* Santa’s Little Engine
* No Snow For Thomas
* The Frozen Turntable
* Kevin’s Cranky Friend
* Scruff’s Makeover
* Not Now, Charlie!
* Calm Down Caitlin
* Away From the Sea
* Gone Fishing
* The Afternoon Tea Express
* The Smelly Kipper
* No More Mr. Nice Engine
* Thomas’ Shortcut

### Season 12

* Scrambled Eggs
* Down the Drain
* Tale of the Brave
* Flatbeds of Fear
* The Perfect Gift *(does not speak)*
* Duncan the Humbug *(mentioned)*
* Duck in the Water
* Old Reliable Edward *(mentioned)*
* Toad’s Adventure
* Thomas the Quarry Engine
* Thomas and the Emergency Cable
* Emily Saves the World
* Duck and the Slip Coaches
* Marion and the Dinosaurs *(mentioned)*
* Samson At Your Service
* Samson Sent For Scrap
* Millie and the Volcano
* Timothy and the Rainbow Truck
* Spencer’s VIP
* Long Lost Friend
* Last Train For Christmas

### Season 13

* Who’s Geoffrey?
* The Truth About Toby
* Very Important Sheep
* Lost Property
* Thomas the Babysitter
* Toad and the Whale
* Salty All At Sea
* Den and Dart
* No Help At All
* Reds Vs Blues
* Wild Water Rescue
* Two Wheels Good
* Slow Stephen
* A Cranky Christmas
* Diesel’s Ghostly Christmas
* Snow Place Like Home
* The Beast of Sodor
* The Other Side of the Mountain
* The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead
* Philip to the Rescue

### Season 14

* Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure
* Goodbye Fat Controller
* Sidney Sings
* Henry Gets the Express
* Bradford the Brake Van
* The Way She Does It
* Saving Time
* Toby’s New Friend *(mentioned)*
* Blown Away
* Snow Problem
* Love Me Tender *(mentioned)*
* The Railcar and the Coaches
* Pouty James
* The Missing Breakdown Train
* Mucking About
* Engine of the Future
* Hugo and the Airship
* Ryan and Daisy
* Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks
* Skiff and the Mermaid
* Henry in the Dark
* All in Vain
* The Christmas Coffeepot
* Over the Hill
* The Big Freeze

### Season 15

* The Great Race
* Dowager Hatt’s Busy Day
* Philip’s Number
* P.A Problems
* Hasty Hannah
* Mountain Engine *(mentioned)*
* Unscheduled Stops
* Terence Breaks the Ice
* Confused Coaches

### Season 16

* Off To See the World
* Rebecca the Substitute
* Nia’s Arrival
* Nia and the Trouble With the Twins *(does not speak)*
* Washout
* Nia’s First Christmas
* Daisy and Billy
* The Missing Elephant
* Slow and Steady Wins the Race *(mentioned)*
* Rebecca and Murdoch
* Rosie and the Fire
* The Impatient Bus
* James’ Starring Role

## Trivia

* There have currently been two controllers of the North Western Railway, Sir Topham Hatt and later his son, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt. If Bertram were to retire someday, the role of controller will likely be passed onto his son Stephen Hatt.
* The most recent season (Season 17) takes place in 1976. By this time, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt II would be 57 years old.
* Throughout the series, it's been shown that Bertram is not a very good driver to both Elizabeth and Winston.
* Bertram is often accompanied by two men in standard blue railway uniforms. They are presumed to be either his assistants or his bodyguards.
* Bertram is shown to be right handed, so is his father.
* The Fat Controller is the only named human character to appear and speak in every series of the television series.
* The “Sir Topham Hatt” name is a pun on *top hat*, the constant loss of which is a running gag throughout the series.