Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines

"Our Jubilee is a Golden one, because, in 1995, it is 50 years since stories about us began being books."

- The Fat Controller to the engines

Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines is the thirty-ninth book of The Railway Series.

Foreword
Dear Friends, I went to see the Fat Controller the other day. I told him that in 1995 it would be fifty years since the first stories about his Railway were published.

"Good gracious me!" he said. "We must do something to celebrate that."

And he set to work. Not everything went quite right. For instance, Thomas... but I won't spoil the stories - happy reading. The Author

Birdstrike
The Fat Controller tells the delighted engines that they will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of The Railway Series this year. Gordon wants to pull the special train for the occasion, but the Fat Controller has borrowed Pip and Emma to pull the train. Gordon has no time to be upset though, because he has to leave to pull the Express. Near Henry's Tunnel, some crows are flying close to the railway. When Gordon startles them with his whistle, the birds fly too close to him, and with a bump the brakes suddenly come on. The crew eventually find a bird knocked the seal off Gordon's front brake pipe, and the train sets off again, but no one forgets the incident, and tease Gordon about it.

Edward and the Cabbages
James is late one day and Edward hurries to make up time. Edward notes his front feels wobbly, and as they pass a cabbage patch one of Edward's bogie wheels snaps off and disappears. Nothing is said of the accident, but a surprised farmer later discovers Edward's wheel in his cabbage patch.

Rabbits
Rabbits have been burrowing under the stretch before Dryaw, and the Fat Controller imposes a ten MPH limit on the stretch until something is sorted out. The day before the decision is put into effect, Thomas is puffing across the stretch when a rail tilts and he comes off. Percy takes Annie and Clarabel home and after the workmen lift Thomas up with jacks to put rails underneath, Percy pulls him back to Knapford.

Golden Jubilee
Henry is depressed and claims the Golden Jubilee will be a disaster. However, by the time the big day comes the Ffarquhar Branch Line and Edward's wheels are both repaired and Edward is chosen to clear the line for Pip and Emma. Unluckily, Edward and the branch line engines are about to leave Knapford when a cobweb short-circuits the signal box. They are flagged through, and the ceremony goes without a hitch, with the guest of honour, the Royal Personage, declaring the engines to be a credit to the Fat Controller.

Birdstrike

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * Pip and Emma
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Bahamas

Edward and the Cabbages

 * Edward
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * BoCo
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Bill and Ben

Rabbits

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Daisy
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * Bertie

Golden Jubilee

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * James
 * Duck
 * Donald
 * Daisy
 * Emma
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * The Royal Personage
 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Mavis
 * Pip
 * Elizabeth II

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Office
 * The Cabbage Patch Field
 * The Works
 * Vicarstown
 * Ffarquhar Branch Line
 * Dryaw
 * Dryaw Airfield
 * Knapford
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Brendam Docks
 * The Mainland
 * Crewe
 * British Railways

Trivia

 * After Ted Robbins' departure, this is the first book to not contain a narrator for the audio reading.
 * This marks the final appearance of Mavis in The Railway Series, as well as Duck and Donald's final speaking roles.
 * The second illustration of Edward and the Cabbages appears in the 2022 film Bullet Train.
 * Christopher Awdry's working title for this book was "The Fat Controller's Engines", but the publishers insisted on a "Thomas" link in the title.
 * The Royal Personage is not named in the book, but Sodor: Reading Between the Lines confirms it is the Prince of Wales.
 * This book was intended as a marketing tool; yet, ironically, while Christopher Awdry's books were out of print, this was the hardest one to obtain.
 * A real life engine is mentioned: Bahamas, as well as a real life express train: The Silver Jubilee.
 * The event of this book took place in 1995, which was the same year as the 50th anniversary of The Railway Series.
 * Birdstrike was based on a real event that occurred on the Great Western Railway in 1915.
 * Rabbits was based on a real event at Rolvenden bank on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.
 * This book marks the only appearances of Suddery and Dryaw in the Railway Series.

Goofs

 * In the fourth illustration of "Edward and the Cabbages", he is missing his bogie frame.
 * The final two illustrations do not match the text. Gordon, James and Henry apparently arrived at the station first, but Thomas and Mavis managed to get in front of them. Furthermore, Edward should have been there, but he does not appear at all.

Thomas y las Locomotoras del Inspector Gordo תומס והקטרים של המפקח השמן Tomek i Lokomotywy Grubego Zawiadowcy Томас и паровозы толстого инспектора