Sir Charles Topham Hatt II

Sir Charles Topham Hatt II, also known as The Fat Controller, was the controller of the North Western Railway from 1954 to 1984.

Biography
Charles Topham Hatt was educated at Abbey School, Cronk and from there went to Crewe Works as an engineering pupil under Mr. William Stanier in 1932. He was present during Henry's rebuilding in 1935. In 1937, he was recommended for railway service overseas by Mr. Stanier, but he returned in 1939 to enlist in the Royal Engineers, serving with them throughout the Second World War. He was demobilised in 1945 with the rank of Colonel.

He spent a further period overseas, before returning to Sodor in 1952 to become Chief Mechanical Engineer at Crovan's Gate Works and general assistant to his ageing father. Following his father's retirement, the Board did not hesitate to elect him as the new Controller.

During his period of office, he began improvements to the harbour at Knapford, planned by his father and reopened the Arlesburgh branch in 1965/6, being responsible for the construction of the Arlesdale Railway and for establishing the ballast consortium which uses it.

His cousin, Sir Handel Lloyd Brown II, was born in 1924. He married Amanda Croarie in 1940 and they had two children, Stephen Topham, born in 1941 and Bridget, born in 1943. Charles inherited his father's baronetcy in 1956.

Charles acted as railway controller for the next thirty years before he finally retired in 1984, in which his son, Stephen Hatt, took over as controller of the North Western Railway. Thirteen years later, Charles passed away at age 83.

Appearances
Railway Series= {{Scroll box|

The Railway Series

 * Edward the Blue Engine - Saved from Scrap and Old Iron
 * Four Little Engines - Skarloey Remembers
 * Percy the Small Engine - Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge and Percy's Promise
 * The Eight Famous Engines - Percy Takes the Plunge, Gordon Goes Foreign, Double Header and The Fat Controller's Engines
 * Duck and the Diesel Engine - Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work and A Close Shave
 * The Twin Engines - Hullo Twins!, The Missing Coach, Break Van and The Deputation
 * Branch Line Engines - Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Daisy and Percy's Predicament
 * Gallant Old Engine - Gallant Old Engine
 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Bluebells of England and Bowled Out
 * Very Old Engines - Crosspatch
 * Main Line Engines - Buzz, Buzz, Wrong Road and Edward's Exploit
 * Small Railway Engines - Ballast
 * Enterprising Engines - Tenders for Henry, Super Rescue, Escape and Little Western
 * Oliver the Western Engine - Donald's Duck (not seen), Resource and Sagacity, Toad Stands By and Bulgy
 * Tramway Engines - Woolly Bear and Toby's Tightrope
 * Really Useful Engines - Stop Thief!, Mind that Bike, Fish and Triple-Header

Books
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 * 1986 - Percy the Small Engine Takes the Plunge

Trivia

 * Out of the three Fat Controllers, Charles is the only one not to appear in Thomas & Friends, though his existence is somewhat implied as Stephen Hatt is stated to be the grandson of Sir Topham Hatt.
 * Some of The Railway Series stories in which Charles is the Fat Controller have been adapted during the second series, the third series, and the fourth series. Though there are still stories from those series where Sir Topham Hatt I is the Fat Controller in The Railway Series, as well as Special Attraction, which takes place while Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III is the controller in The Railway Series.
 * In John Gielgud's narration of The Fat Controller's Engines, he incorrectly stated that Charles' first name was "Derek".

Miscellaneous
Sir Charles Topham Hatt II