Biography
Sir Topham Hatt I, known as The Fat Controller, and formerly, The Fat Director (1880-1956) was born sometime in 1880, and become an apprentice at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works at the young age of just 14. Sometime during this time he became good friends with William Stanier whom would eventually become a famous railway engineer. Sir Topham left for Sodor in 1901 were he joined A.W. Dry & Co. and soon became an engineer Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway in 1910, The Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway several years later, and finally the North Western Railway when it was created in 1914. He soon became the manager of the Railway in 1923.
During his time at A.W. Dry & Co. he built four engines known as Coffee Pots from 1905 to 1908. He later designed a 120 ft bridge across the Walney Channel, in the early days of the North Western Railway. He retired in 1954 after 60 years of serving Railways in General, and 40 years working for the North Western Railway. As a result of his retirement, his son, Charles inherited his role as manager of the North Western Railway.
In 1910 Sir Topham married Jane Brown, the sister of the owner of the Skarloey Railway, they had several children, Barbra Jane, born a year later in 1911, and Charles Hatt born in 1914. Sir Topham died at Wellsworth in 1956, at the age of about 76.
Quotes
"My doctor has forbidden me to pull"
"My doctor has forbidden me to push"
- The Sad Story of Henry.
Trivia
- Christopher Awdry has stated, that although to his knowledge the character was based on no one in particular, he shared a likeness to his doctor at the time, it is possible this could have inspired The Fat Controller referring to his doctor in The Sad Story of Henry.
- A rare illustration from a unknown illustrator featuring Sir Topham Hatt I was shown at the History of Thomas Event, the illustration was likely a prototype illustration and came sometime before the original books were published.
- He is known to have smoked a cigar, via illustrations he appeared in.
- He is depicted as having white hair in William Middelton's original illustrations for The Three Railway Engines, except for in Edward, Gordon and Henry, in which he is bald.
- Sir Topham Hatt I appeared in the first nine volumes of the railways series, and was additionally mentioned in the next two volumes. He was additionally mentioned in the Christopher Awdry book "Toby, Trucks and Trouble", and also appeared in the related RWS Books "Thomas's Christmas Party", and "Thomas and Gordon Off the Rails".
- Sir Topham Hatt I is known to have used curse words. This is confirmed in "The Island of Sodor: It's People, History, and Railways" in which three dashed lines are used to remove expletives he was using when referring to Henry's builder who had scammed him. Mysteriously, he refused to ever reveal who this man was.
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