History Characters / ThomasTheTankEngineHumans

[[WMG:[[center: [-''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngine character index]]\\
[[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineTheSteamTeam The Steam Team]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineTheDiesels The Diesels]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineLittleWesternAndArlesdale Little Western and Arlesdale]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineSkarloeyRailway Skarloey Railway]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineForeignEngines Foreign Engines]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineSecondaryCharacters Secondary Characters]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineNonRailCharacters Non-Rail Characters]] | [[Characters/ThomasTheTankEngineRollingStock Rolling Stock]] | '''Humans''' ]]]] -]
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:The Fat Controller / Sir Topham Hatt]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mainsirtophamhattcgi.png]]
--> "You are a really useful engine."

-->Voiced by: Creator/KeithWickham (UK; Hero of the Rails - present; US; WesternAnimation/TheAdventureBegins - present), Kerry Shale (US; Hero of the Rails - eighteenth season)

The Controller of the railway, makes sure all of his engines are doing their best. Stern and no-nonsense, but very caring towards all his engines.
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* AdaptationalComicRelief: The Fat Controller was largely portrayed as a strict and serious person in the books and is almost never depicted in a comical light. In the show however, while he’s still largely a stern and serious person, he has a lot more comical moments compared to the books and can be a ButtMonkey at points. Especially after the series shifted away from being faithful to the novels and became DenserAndWackier.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In some of the US episodes, due to them being {{Bowdlerized}}. For example, in the UK, he intended to leave Henry bricked up in the tunnel forever, while in the US he planned to let him out when he learned his lesson. Overall, compared to his literary counterpart, the television version of the Fat Controller tends to be depicted in a less harsh and strict manner, owing to the television series' LighterAndSofter (and later on, DenserAndWackier) nature compared to the books.
* AdultFear: In ''WesternAnimation/MistyIslandRescue'', his learning that Thomas has been lost at sea is akin to a parent learning that their child has been lost and possibly put in serious danger.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Almost always seen wearing a very stylish morning suit.
* BaldOfAwesome: Underneath his top hat is a shiny dome. He's also a competent railway controller.
* BenevolentBoss: While a firm stickler for rules and smooth operations, he will usually listen to his engines' points of view and help them through any problems. He also rewards them for hard work by letting them join in with island activities such as carol singing and watching fireworks, and will make sure that they recuperate properly after accidents or illnesses.
* BerserkButton: As learned from "Jumping Jobi Wood", he took offence when Ferdinand called him "boss".
* BigEater: Where else would he get his rotund figure? He even admits in the "Question Time with Sir Topham Hatt" cassette that whenever Lady Hatt thinks he's on a diet, he secretly visits Mrs. Kyndley for food.
* BigFun: While he is serious in his duties, he can have his moments of being fun-loving.
* BigGood: Being the one who manages the railway, he’s the closest thing there is to one.
* BullyHunter: Often harshly disciplines any engine that is mocking or belittling another.
* ButtMonkey: If it's not his engines, then it'll be him. Any episode focusing on him will have him suffer some kind of indignity.
* CatchPhrase:
** "''Reeeeally Useful Engine.''" and "''You have caused Confusion and Delay.''" (This one however, has had several variations in Season 17)
** "Early Days yet" towards his new Railway Inspection Vehicle, Winston. Which comes up when you find out he's a terrible driver.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Awdry originally created the Fat Controller as a nod to "pompous railway officials who gave out plenty of orders but never actually did anything", with some engines actually acting rather impudent towards at times. He also had a tendency for {{Cool And Unusual Punishment}}s for disobedient engines. The books, and by extension the show, altered him into a stern but fair [[AFatherToHisMen Father To His Men]] with insurmountable knowledge of the railway (and many other goings on in Sodor), which almost no engine would even think of upsetting. Of course, it helps that the books, the original Fat Controller retired and was replaced by his son, who was subsequently replaced by ''his'' son, explaining the change in character.
** ''Some'' of his book character does manage to show through, though, such as him using the "doctor's orders" excuse to get out of pushing and pulling in the "Sad Story of Henry" episode.
* CompositeCharacter:
** Took the role of the Thin Controller in early adapted episodes. It wouldn't be until Season 9 that the Thin Controller would be introduced.
** In the original books, Sir Topham Hatt is a LegacyCharacter that consisted of 3 people who each took on the role as the Fatt Controller at some point in the books. In the TV series however, Sir Topham Hatt is one singular character with traits from the first two conductors.
* CoolOldGuy: He's old enough to be a grandfather, and can be a BigFun at times.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The show gives him a handful of these. Much in the style of the engines, he usually ends up playing the ButtMonkey in them.
* DeadpanSnarker: Some of his lectures towards the engine lean as this. Especially evident with Michael Angelis' literally deadpan take on the character.
-->'''The Fat Controller:''' Tunnels aren't dance floors, and you are not a pop star.
* DeathGlare: Has given these to the engines in some episodes. Best shown in "Duck and the Slip Coaches" where he gave one to James after finding out that he stole Duck's idea on the Slip Coaches. Cue James' OhCrapSmile.)
* DontCallMeSir: Inverted. He wants the engines to only call him "Sir". In ''Jumping Jobi Wood'', he gasped upon Ferdinand calling him "Boss", to which Thomas the Tank Engine reminded him to call him "Fat Controller".
* DrivesLikeCrazy: His old lorry Elizabeth asks if he's "learned to drive properly yet" back in Series 6. With Winston's introduction in Series 16, it seems the answer is "No".
* DubNameChange: In the American dub, he's always called "Sir Topham Hatt", because calling someone "fat" is seen as offensive in the US.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: In the UK dub, it's always "The Fat Controller". Averted in the US dub, where it's "Sir Topham Hatt".
* FacePalm: Does this in response to Bill and Ben's bickering in "Percy's Lucky Day".
* FatAndSkinny: The Fat to Mr. Percival's Skinny.
* FatComicRelief: In some episodes.
* AFatherToHisMen: To every engine, diesel, and vehicle on Sodor. He's loved for it.
* {{Flanderization}}: While still a capable authority figure, The Fat Controller has become a noticeably more buffoonish and fallible character since Andrew Brenner's takeover as writer, with far more jokes at his expense. This became more prominent in Season 19, and this sort of behavior took over in full force from Season 22 onwards.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Plays the Responsible Sibling to Lowham Hatt's Foolish Sibling.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Generally anything that is remotely sentient on Sodor is respectful and obedient to him. Whenever an engine (often the conniving Diesels) believes they have been rejected by him, it is pointed out he cares about ''all'' of his engines.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: In the model episodes, he always points his finger to the engines whenever he's reprimanding them.
* HappilyMarried: To Lady Hatt.
* HatOfAuthority: His dashing top hat, to signify his supreme authority over the railways.
* JerkassBall:
** On occasion he can be surprisingly unreasonable towards his engines. His reprimanding Thomas after the crash in "Thomas Comes To Breakfast", for example, seems very unfair considering that Thomas only started moving as a result of a cleaner's meddling. Similarly, Donald in "Brake Van/Donald and Douglas" and Percy in "Percy's Predicament" could be said to get more blame from him than they deserved. See other examples under MisplacedRetribution.
** Even more so in ''WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure''. In fact, some fans thought he was actually going to tell Thomas he had had enough of him and intended to replace and sell him. Though to be fair, his attitude throughout the special stems from the fact that Thomas is causing tremendous amounts of damage both physically and financially (meaning Sir Topham Hatt has to pay for repairs to the damaged coaches, listen to complaints from angry passengers, and deal with the repeated delays to the construction of the new branch line) and is [[NeverMyFault refusing to take responsibility for his actions.]] Given that, it's [[JustifiedTrope understandable that Sir Topham Hatt seems sterner than usual.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** He can be harsh at times, but it's never unjustified. Generally, when he's telling engines off, it tends to be due to legitimately bad behavior on their part or him simply not having the time nor resources to investigate a matter in more depth.
** While telling off Percy for his accident in "Percy Takes The Plunge" was a tad harsh, keep in mind that Percy had asked the [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder trucks]] to push him past the board in the first place... and said board was warning engines to keep away due to the quay being unsafe.
*** In "Percy's Predicament", while he was too harsh on Percy for destroying the brake van after some trucks pushed him, he isn't wrong about how Percy needs to be more careful with trucks after he was being very bossy with them at the quarry.
** While it wasn't completely his fault due to the careless cleaner, Thomas' attitude at not needing a driver was reckless and unsafe, and had he not boasted about not needing a driver, chances are high that Sir Topham Hatt would've been more lenient in the aftermath.
*** Likewise, it's hard to ''really'' argue against him with the dynamite incident when he had no context for it. In his view, Thomas was playing around with '''explosives''', and in fact, it was Thomas himself getting Ryan stuck with bad coal that caused said dynamite to ignite in the first place. Thomas gaining a recent troublesome record would have worn out his patience anyways, and it's really hard to fault Sir Topham Hatt for having to deal with it.
** For Donald and Douglas, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop he didn't know that the two were under threat from scrapping]], and believed that the other engine was trying to play hooky. Them trying to pull a dishonest trick instead of coming clean with the Missing Coach incident (even though it wasn't [[UnfinishedEpisode adapted in the TV series]]) wouldn't have painted them in a good light either and kept him on his toes.
* LegacyCharacter: In the original books, where his position had been passed down from father to son.
* {{Leitmotif}}: In seasons 1-7, an ominous sounding tune is played when he's on screen. Especially when he's reprimanding an engine.
* MisplacedRetribution:
** No matter if an accident is caused by Troublesome Trucks, human error, or an act of God, he'll almost always scapegoat his engines. One of the most egregious examples of this is "Something in the Air", in which Henry goes off the tracks into the sea, an accident caused by human error. The Fat Controller instead chews out ''Henry'', like it's somehow his fault the whole thing happened. Granted, this tends to follow if said engine has displayed a poor attitude beforehand. If they were doing their job properly with no fuss, like with Duck backing Henry in "Fish", he is significantly kinder to them.
** There was one aversion in "Thomas and the Rumors" where after Gordon causes a tunnel to collapse, he was having a stern word with Gordon's driver.
** Another aversion can be found in "Bye George", where he blames neither Gordon nor Duck for an accident with a truck and instead punishes George the Steamroller, who was really to blame for the crash.
** Subverted in "Wayward Winston". When he scolds Winston for rolling away, Winston politely but firmly points out that the Fat Controller didn't put the brake on, and the Controller admits that he's partially to blame.
* MommasBoy: He's very close to his mother, Dowager Hatt.
* NiceGuy: While he can be strict when the engines get out of line, and have occasional JerkassBall moments, he is fundamentally a kind man and truly cares for the engines.
* NiceHat: He's incredibly fond of his top hat, so much that it has slipped into CompanionCube territory.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He doesn't look a day over 30, and yet he's apparently old enough to be a grandfather.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Misty Island Rescue" he is so overjoyed at finding Thomas, he throws his hat into the air, not caring the least when it disappears into the mist.
-->'''The Fat Controller:''' I can find another hat, but I can ''never'' find another Thomas.
* OopNorth: Michael Angelis voiced him with a very strong Yorkshire accent, a tradition which has remained in subsequent portrayals.
* PetTheDog:
** Engines who work hard against adversity and without complaint, always make him proud, and he's always quick to tell them how proud he is of them.
** After Duck and his crew prevented a serious accident in 'A Close Shave', he informed the Great Western engine he would personally go and tell ''City of Truro'' all about his bravery and heroism. Duck could only blush...
* PunnyName: Sir '''''Top'''''ham ''Hatt'', [[CaptainObvious guess what it's named after]].
* RailroadBaron: Duh. While stern and businesslike, is also sympathetic to his engines and certainly not evil.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In the UK Series, he can stray from this a bit, but in the US Series he is, for the most part. This is shown especially in "Hero of the Rails" when Thomas lets him in on Hiro's existence; instead of scrapping him or sending him away, he declares they must help him at once.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Was an engineer in his own right, before becoming director of the entire North Western region. He knew Sir William Stanier and Sir Nigel Gresley, both amoung the most famous locomotive engineers the world had ever seen. His good standing with them ensured Gordon was purchased, and Henry was rebuilt, to give the railway the powerhouses it needed.
* SickEpisode: He got a cold in "Dowager Hatt's Busy Day".
* SilenceYouFool: Whenever he is tired of the engines blurbing or whistling randomly (i.e., "Duck Takes Charge").
* SoProudOfYou: Calls his engines "really useful" whenever they prove themselves.
* [[SternTeacher Stern Controller]]: He is strict and will reprimand his engines when they make mistakes or behave badly.
* SurroundedByIdiots: He keeps giving engines like Thomas, James, Gordon, and Percy important jobs, regardless of how much he yells at them for screwing up. As of now, it's not like he has another choice.
* TranquilFury: The master of this trope. No matter what level of destruction the engines cause, his reaction rarely excels past a stern, snarky lecture. Nevertheless, ''none'' of the engines want to be on his bad side.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom:
** He was indirectly the reason why Thomas was hesitant to tell about Hiro in "Hero of the Rails" as he tells the tank engine that he doesn't want broken engines, which Thomas mistakes this that he can't accept engines like Hiro.
** In "The Great Little Railway Show", he asks Percy to collect some cargo for the Railway Show at the Earl's Castle that features little engines. Percy mistakes that the show was about all of the little engines on Sodor, so he tells most of the tank engines, diesel shunters, Skarloey and Aresdale engines to come to the Earl's castle. This unfortunally caused a lot of confusion and delay as none of the trains can go through without them..
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lady Hatt]]
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ladyhattcgipromo.png]]

-->Voiced by: Jules de Jongh (US), Teresa Gallagher (UK)

The Fat Controller's wife.
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* BirthdayEpisode: She has her birthday in "Lady Hatt's Birthday Party".
* DeadpanSnarker:
--> '''Lady Hatt''': "Well, thank you, my dear. I knew this was my special birthday party, but I didn't know it was fancy dress!"
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference:
** In Season 1, her hair was short and curly, and she wore a light blue blouse.
** In Season 3, she wore a blue button-down shirt.
** In Season 5, it was changed to pink, and a pearl necklace was added.
** As of Season 7, Lady Hatt's current outfit consists of a blue dress combined with a white trim sweater with a pink heart picture, with matching shoes, and matching hat with a pink hatband and matching flower.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: In "Rosie is Red", she wore a purple coat and hat.
* HappilyMarried: To Sir Topham Hatt.
* NiceGirl: She is very kind and gentle.
* NiceHat: She wears a hat just like her husband.
* OlderThanTheyLook: She's apparently a grandmother, but you wouldn't suspect it from her appearance.
* PoorCommunicationKills: In "The Green Controller", she tasks Percy to give out the day's assignments after the Fat Controller falls ill and loses his voice. She likes to "flourish" her speech, which confuses Percy into handing out the wrong assignments.
* TrueBlueFemininity: She wears a blue dress, and she is feminine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Ffarquhar Policeman]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thomasintrouble10.png]]

--> "The law is the law and we can't change it!"

The policeman of Ffarquhar.
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* InspectorJavert: He believes that Thomas is a criminal all because he doesn't have cowcatchers or side plates.
* {{Jerkass}}: Where do we begin? First he complains about Thomas whistling him a good morning, then calls him "dangerous to the public" and "regular law breaker" because he doesn't have cowcatchers or sideplates, even though Thomas had been on the quarry route many times without a single fatality.
* KnightTemplar: He's convinced he is doing good by labeling Thomas as a danger to the public.
* LawfulStupid: Fits this trope to a T. He didn't seemed concerned about the fact Thomas went on the line many times without a cowcatcher and never had an accident and just wrote "regular law breaker" on his notebook.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Gets rang at and frightened by Toby for being mean to Thomas.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: The previous policeman was nicer and didn't enforce outdated laws to the detriment of Thomas and his duties.
* WartsAndAll: Thomas expected him to be as kind as the previous one, but finds out that he was anything but.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dowager Hatt]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dowagerhatt.png]]

--> "Hold on to your hats!"

-->Voiced by: Creator/KeithWickham

The Fat Controller's mother.
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* AccidentalMisnaming: In "Dowager Hatt's Busy Day", she takes over Sir Topham Hatt's job of running the railway when Sir Topham Hatt catches a cold. When she addresses the engines, she calls Emily "Emiline", "Emerald", "Ermentrude", "Elma", and "Esmeralda", and Gordon "Geoffrey", "Gregory", "Gerald", and "Gavin".
* ADayInTheLimelight: She gets her own spotlight episode in "Dowager Hatt's Busy Day".
* BigFun: Her son must take after her.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Her appearances in the model era didn't show [[FlatCharacter much in terms of personality]]. It wasn't until the show went CGI that her BigFun and CoolOldLady traits would become prominent.
* CoolOldLady: She's an old woman and she enjoys having fun.
* DotingParent: Can behave like this to her son at times. An example would be in "Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks".
* DreadfulMusician: Not a very good musician.
* GenkiGirl: She is fun-loving and energetic.
* NiceHat: Just like her son.
* PointyHairedBoss: In "Dowager Hatt's Busy Day", she temporarily takes over as controller of the North Western Railway while Topham is sick. She didn't have a single clue how to run the railway. She mixes up the engines' jobs and has them pull all sorts of bizarre trains. Luckily, Emily helped her out.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Allicia Botti]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alliciabotti.png]]

--> "I can't possibly travel in coaches riddled with mice!"

-->Voiced by: Jules de Jongh

A famous singer who frequently performs concerts on Sodor.
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In her first appearance, she admires Percy for being "So sweet and dirty like a proper steam train", yet later in "Toby's Triumph", she doesn't like how Toby is dirty.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Allicia Botti hasn't been seen since the end of the Nitrogen era. Although, she was indirectly mentioned in Season 18's "Emily Saves the World".
* EekAMouse: She screeches upon seeing a mouse in "Thomas, Percy, and the Squeak".
* NiceHat: She wears a black hat.
* {{Opera}}: She's an opera singer.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Thin Controller / Mr. Percival]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-mr_percival_7228.png]]

--> "You have caused delay and confusion!"

-->Voiced by: Kerry Shale (US), Creator/KeithWickham (UK)

The Controller of the Skarloey Railway. Prior to his introduction in season 9, the railway was run by Sir Topham Hatt. His mode of transport is a red bicycle.
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* AdaptationalNameChange: The Thin Controllers of the Railway Series all shared the last name of 'Sam', not unlike the last name of 'Hatt' for the Fat Controllers. The TV series Thin Controller is named Percival instead.
* AlliterativeName: His first name is Peregrine, which also starts with a P.
* AllThereInTheManual: Supplementary material says he's also in charge of the Culdee Fell Mountain Railway, which hasn't appeared in the television series.
* BaldOfAwesome: He's balding, hidden by his hat.
* CatchPhrase: Carried over from the Fat Controller, "''Really Useful Engine.''" and "''You have caused Delay and Confusion.''"
* DubNameChange: Like with Sir Topham, he is reffered as the Thin Controller in the UK, but is referred by his last name in he US. However, he is often known as the Narrow Gauge Controller in that region as well.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: In the UK dub, that is.
* FatAndSkinny: The Skinny to Sir Topham Hatt's Fat.
* AFatherToHisMen: Much like the Fat Controller.
* LegacyCharacter: In the original books, much like the Fat Controller, the title of Thin Controller was occupied by members of the Sam family. The TV series uses an original character and name for the title.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: He and his wife have five children.
* NerdGlasses: Wears these type of glasses.
* NiceHat: He has a bowler hat, to contrast the Fat Controller's top hat.
* RailroadBaron: He's the controller of the Skarloey Railway, and, like Sir Topham Hatt, isn't greedy or evil like most examples of the trope.
* [[SternTeacher Stern Controller]]: He can behave like this towards the narrow-gauge engines whenever they act up.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sir Lowham Hatt]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2018_08_21_at_81307_pm.png]]
-->"Don't hurry the children, Edward. Let them play!"

-->Voiced by: Kerry Shale (US), Creator/KeithWickham (UK)

The Fat Controller's twin brother.
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* BigFun: A lot more than his brother.
* CanonForeigner: While the ''concept'' of each Fat Controller having a sibling isn't new, the character of Lowham himself has no book basis.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Hasn't been seen since ''Double Trouble''.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Foolish Sibling to Topham's Responsible Sibling.
* IdenticalTwinIDTag: He has a mustache, his brother doesn't.
* NiceHat: Like his brother, he wears a top hat.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He's the Fat Controller, but with a mustache. Justified, due to being twin brothers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jenny Packard]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mainmissjennycgi2.png]]

-->"You'd make a mother proud!"

-->Voiced by: Harriet Kershaw

The owner of the Sodor Construction Company.
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* AbandonedCatchphrase: In the CGI series, she doesn't say "You'd make a mother proud!" anymore.
* BenevolentBoss: She serves as this towards the vehicles of the Sodor Construction Company.
* BigBeautifulWoman: Has a large hips and chest.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned to the series in season 23 after disappearing following season 12.
* CatchPhrase: "You'd make a mother proud!" in the model series.
* {{Expy}}: She can be seen as this to [[WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder Wendy]], as they're both female construction workers. Sadly, the perceived similarities to ''Bob the Builder'' are what got the ''Jack and the Sodor Construction Company'' miniseries cancelled forever by Creator/HITEntertainment.
* NiceGirl: A very kind and friendly lady.
* {{Oireland}}: Jenny is Irish, even though neither Alec Baldwin nor Michael Brandon give her the accent. However, Harriet Kershaw (her VA in the CGI series) does give her the accent.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Jenny can be stern at times, especially when she's dealing with Max and Monty. Max and Monty ''always'' apologize to her.
* RedheadInGreen: She has red hair and she wears a green shirt.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: She has red hair and green eyes, and she's the owner of the Sodor Construction Company, who ended up getting their own mini-series dedicated to them.
* SuddenEyeColour: Her eyes were blue in the model series, but they're now green in the CGI series.
* TeamMom: Acts like a mother towards the Pack vehicles.
* TomboyishPonytail: She wears her hair in a ponytail, and isn't all that feminine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sir Robert Norramby]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mainsirrobertnorrambycgi.png]]

-->Voiced by: Mike Grady

The Earl of Sodor and the owner of Millie and Stephen. Ulfstead Castle and the Dinosaur Park are on his estate. He is also Duke's current grace.
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* AllThereInTheManual: ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways'' contains a good chunk of his book counterpart's history.
* AdaptationalComicRelief: His book counterpart only appeared twice (''Little Old Engines'' and ''Duke the Lost Engine''), and was portrayed as easygoing, but had no real quirks. Sir Robert Norramby is easily one of the most energetic humans in the franchise.
* CaptainOblivious: When he returns to Sodor after several years away in ''King of the Railway'', he doesn't seem to be aware that his welcome back party is actually for him and leaves again after less than a minute.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He is ''very'' eccentric.
* CoolOldGuy: His very energetic nature presents him as this.
* FailedASpotCheck: His book counterpart had no idea about Duke. It is unknown if it applies to him in the TV Series continuity, since Duke hasn't yet [[TheBusCameBack returned to the show]].
* LegacyCharacter: Similar to Mr. Percival, he was based off of a RWS character who had a title that was passed down from their predecessor. Unlike Mr. Percival, his name is mostly identical to his book counterpart.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Although he's usually laid-back and fun-loving, he can be this trope at times, as shown when he scolds Glynn and Stephen in "Runaway Engine".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sailor John]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sailorjohnttte.png]]

-->Voiced by: Creator/JohnHurt

The main antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure''. The owner of the railboat Skiff, Sailor John is out to steal the treasure hidden inside the recently discovered pirate ship.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: According to the official site, he was kicked out of the Navy.
* APirate400YearsTooLate: He's in the 20th century at the very least, and he acts like a typical pirate.
* BadBoss: Skiff seems to be in poor condition by the time Thomas meets him. Sailor John also seems perfectly content putting Skiff in incredibly dangerous situations.
* BigBad: Sailor John serves as the main villain of ''Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure''.
* BigBadFriend: Sailor John is this to Skiff. Even though Sailor John is highly abusive towards him, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter Skiff still considers him a friend]]. [[spoiler: Luckily, Skiff ends up betraying him for good, and joins Sodor]].
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: He might be inspired by P.T. Boomer, but with the workprint now out, it can be confirmed that the two are actually quite different. Boomer was an indirect threat to Sodor, as while his plans would've destroyed Lady and thus the steam engines, he didn't believe that they even existed since he wasn't a native to Sodor, while Sailor John is a villain who is quite closer to Sodor's roots physically speaking, and his antagonism with Thomas is quite personal. Both are jerks, but Boomer is not given a single moment of sympathy, while Sailor John's dejection at [[spoiler:losing the treasure]] gives him ''some'' pitying qualities. Likewise, Boomer is established as a threat from the get-go and made no effort to hide that he was a villain, while Sailor John presents himself as a FalseFriend. Finally, Boomer, for all of his bluster, was ''not'' a physical villain, being more content to heckle and bribe people, whereas Sailor John doesn't hesitate to use dynamite, shovels, and Skiff to cause physical harm to others.
* EmergencyCargoDump: [[spoiler: Sailor John steals the lost pirate treasure and he and his railboat, Skiff, sail away with it. When they take on water, the weight of the treasure causes Skiff to sink. Skiff tells Sailor John to throw it overboard, but being the BadBoss he is, Sailor John refuses, and orders Skiff to keep sailing anyway. Skiff responds by knocking both Sailor John and the treasure into the sea]].
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Captain Joe, Skiff's current owner. While Captain Joe treats Skiff with respect, Sailor John abuses him by stomping on his deck.
** For Sir Robert Norramby as well. Both are prominent human characters whose plans help drive their introductory films, and both are rather quirky. However, the similarities quickly end there. Sir Robert is a man with great status on Sodor, with his goals always being to introduce new elements for the island, making him a rather esteemed individual, and he's a very kind-hearted man who knows when to put his foot down and exert his authority. Sailor John however, was kicked out of the navy and is one-step removed from being a penniless-nobody, with his single-minded goal pretty much rendering him a one-off character, cameos aside. And while he portrays himself as a good guy, he quickly shows his true, abusive colors.
** He's also one to Thomas the Tank Engine himself, especially when examining Thomas' character arc in the film. Both are notably rather arrogant and rude towards others with enormous pride in what they want to do. But Thomas legitimately wants to prove himself, while Sailor John is completely focused on the treasure he's got pretty much nothing else left in life. Thomas ultimately learns to accept his faults and becomes a humbler character, whereas Sailor John is so focused on the treasure, he fails to accept responsibility and remains a rotten {{Jerkass}}.
* {{Expy}}: Somewhat one of P.T. Boomer, a character cut from ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'', in that he's a human antagonist that acts as a KnightOfCerebus and utilizes explosives, and both have {{Greed}} as major motivations. Likewise, their motifs of motorcyclist and pirate are clear signs to their status as villains. However, in terms of goals and motivations, the two differ greatly. Boomer was out to settle a personal grudge, with money as a secondary theme, while Sailor John's entire motivation is that he wants the titular lost treasure.
* FalseFriend: To Thomas. He at first portrays himself as an amiable fellow, not unlike Sir Robert Norramby. But it doesn't take long until his obsession with the treasure shows itself and he breaks ties with Thomas after their second digging.
* FlippingTheBird: A G-rated example. While sailing away, he salutes Thomas with his left hand. Unless a person's right hand is disabled or missing, saluting with the left hand is considered an insult.
* HiddenDepths: He's a quite impressive engineer, as shown when he rigs up the pirate ship as an escape vehicle.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: By the time of ''Big World! Big Adventures!'', he's out of prison, and is seen happily waving to Thomas in a diner, indicating that they made peace.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: The darkest antagonist of the series to date [[spoiler:and the first human antagonist who tries to outright ''damage'' an engine with explosives]] due to his ruthless and nasty behavior. He even surpasses P.T. Boomer in that regard, doing far more direct damage to Sodor and the characters than Boomer ever did (or rather, was supposed to if he wasn't cut).
* LaughablyEvil: Relatively speaking however, he's still a bumbling pirate who sails the rails for treasure.
* MadBomber:
** [[spoiler: Attempts to throw lit sticks of dynamite at Thomas during the climax.]]
** [[spoiler:In the film, he throws a stick of dynamite at the Fat Controller's office to break into his safe to steal the treasure.]]
* NiceHat: Wears a sailor's hat.
* PermaStubble: As befitting his nature as a pirate.
* RiddleForTheAges: It's never stated why Sailor John wanted to steal Captain Calles' teasure. Is it just for money or does he have a connection with the former pirate?
* RuthlessModernPirates: Although it's unclear what time period the show takes place in, we can assume by the locomotives used, the technology, and the fashion that it's sometime in the 20th century. Sailor John is an incredibly vicious and greedy sailor, and he also refers to himself as a pirate as he gets arrested.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Thin Clergyman (Wilbert Awdry)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mainthethinclergymancgi.png]]

-->Voiced by: Rob Rackstraw

A clergyman who enjoys taking pictures of trains.
----
* AscendedExtra: His first appearances were cameos, but starting from the Small Railway Engines, he becomes a semi-prominent human character, with many speaking roles.
* CreatorCameo: The author of the Railway Series himself.
* FatAndSkinny: He's thin, while his friend, Teddy Boston, (The Fat Clergyman) is fat.
* FreezeFrameBonus: His appearances in the most recent specials starting from ''WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure''. Also has a few in episodes where he appears, but does not speak.
* GoodShepherd: A very kind-hearted clergyman.
* NiceGuy: Is very kind to the engines whenever he talks to them. He was also very apologetic to Bert after seeing the little engine get into trouble because of the Thin Clergyman not watching the puddles on the road.
* NotSoAboveItAll: While amiable in both the series and in real-life, he had a great deal of disgust for episodes that lacked the realism that he prided on having in his books... yet when James starts singing and bouncing near the start of ''WesternAnimation/JourneyBeyondSodor'', he's seen swinging to the tune.
* RailEnthusiast: Both in real-life, the books, and in the show. It's most apparent in ''Tit for Tat'', where he and the Fat Clergyman take pictures of pretty much every engine on Sodor. Plus, there's the fact that he attends events like The Great Railway Show.
* TheVicar: Not directly stated in the show, but was one in real-life and it is apparent in his book title.
* SuddenlyVoiced: His first appearance didn't have him speak. His appearances in the adaptations of ''Small Railway Engines'' have him be much more talkative, due to taking an active role in the episodes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Small Controller / Fergus Duncan]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fergusduncancgi_0.png]]

The General Manager of the Arlesdale Railway. He is nicknamed the Small Controller because his railway is often called the "Small Railway".
----
* BadassMoustache: He wears one and is the controller of the Arlesdale Railway.
* IronicNickname: He is taller than the Fat Controller and the Thin Controller, but he is called the Small Controller because his railway is called the "Small Railway".
* [[SternTeacher Stern Controller]]: He knows when to get strict when the engines on the Arlesdale Railway misbehave. One example include when he [[GoToYourRoom sends Bert to the sheds as punishment]] for getting the Thin and Fat Clergymen wet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Reverend Charles Laxey]]
[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thevicar.jpg]]

The Vicar of Wellsworth, and Trevor's owner.
----
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He hasn't been seen since "Best Dressed Engine".
* GoodShepherd: He's a very nice Vicar.
* NiceGuy: Befitting his status as a GoodShepherd. He even held a party for underprivileged children.
* NiceHat: He wears a Saturno hat.
* TheVicar: He's the trope image.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Charubala]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charubalas22.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: Sheena Bhattessa

The controller of the Indian Railway. Introduced in Season 22.
----
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Charubala wears some purple.
* MeaningfulName: Her name means "pretty girl" in the Gujarati language.
* RailroadBaron: Or, rather, Railroad Baroness. She's the controller of the Indian Railway, and is one of the more modern examples. She's also not evil unlike most examples.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She isn't above being stern to her engines, and she is shown to have some authority as shown when she got some tiger poachers arrested in "Tiger Trouble".
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The first female railway controller in the series.
* TokenMinority: Also the first railway controller to be a person of colour.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ruth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mainruthcgi.png]]

-->Voiced by: Dominique Moore

An American inventor who is Introduced in Season 24.
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Has visibly darker skin compared to most other human characters on Sodor.
* BrainyBrunette: She has short brown hair and is pretty quick to put her inventive knowledge to use when she can.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: Brown hair and brown eyes.
* FlyingCar: [[spoiler:She builds two of them: one which resembles a car-like spacecraft, and the other looking like something from Film/BackToTheFuture.]]
* GadgeteerGenius: She works as an inventor.
* GoalInLife: Her childhood dream was to be a railway engineer, due to growing up near a railway and being fascinated by them. While her interests gradually shifted towards technology and invention, she never lost her love for railways.
* IChooseToStay: Following the events of ''World of Tomorrow'', Ruth decides to stay on Sodor, eventually moving to a windmill on Thomas's branch line.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With the Earl, who greatly admires and respects her talent.
* ScienceHero:
** When Baz and Bernie accidentally cause the robot to go haywire, Ruth and Thomas work together with the electromagnet to stop it.
** [[spoiler:She uses her flying car to chase down Baz and Bernie after they steal Kenji.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Baz and Bernie]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttte_bazbernie.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Bernie (left) and Baz (right).]]

-->Voiced by: Bob Golding (Baz), Rob Rackstraw (Bernie)

A pair of criminals introduced in season 24 that infiltrate the Technology Fair to steal an invention to sell for profit. They're Sonny's owners.
----
* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Like Sailor John, what they want is money. But while Sailor John was after an old treasure, Baz and Bernie want to make a quick buck out of a modern invention. They're also far worse at planning and improvising compared to Sailor John, and ''far'' more comical than he was.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Their biggest flaw is failing to plan anything out in advance.
** Their entire plan consists of three parts: infiltrate the fair, steal something, and get away. They have no idea ''what'' they're going to steal or ''how''; everything beyond the initial idea is improvised.
** Their attempt to steal the robot fails when they can't figure out how to control it, leading to them breaking the remote and the robot to go haywire.
** After stealing [[spoiler:Ruth's hovercar plans]], their plan to use [[spoiler:Kenji]] as their getaway vehicle completely blows up in their face when [[spoiler:Kenji can't run on the Main Line without a power source, as Sodor's Main Line has no overhead wires, and begins slowing down]].
* {{Expy}}: Anyone else get any [[Film/OneHundredandOneDalmatians1961 Jasper and Horace]] vibes from these two?
* FatAndSkinny: Bernie's the fat one, and Baz is the skinny one.
* ImpliedDeathThreat: [[spoiler:Baz tells Sonny that there's "a scrapyard with your name on it" if he doesn't comply.]]
* KickTheDog: They routinely insult Sonny, who's clearly distressed by it. [[spoiler:After meeting Thomas and learning about what being "Really Useful" means, [[TheDogBitesBack Sonny turns on them]].]]
* LaughablyEvil: They're both hilariously goofy and incompetent, but Baz isn't above [[spoiler:threatening Sonny's life if he doesn't comply]].
* LiteralMinded: [[spoiler:When Sonny refuses to help Baz steal Ruth's hovercar plans, Baz tells him that "There's a scrapyard with your name on it" if he doesn't do as he says. Bernie then asks Baz if there's really a scrapyard named Sonny.]]
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:Routinely mistreating Sonny makes him turn on them, forcing them to improvise a new getaway vehicle after stealing Ruth's hovercar plans.]]
* NoHonorAmongThieves: [[spoiler:With Kenji slowing down, Baz has Bernie uncouple Kenji's coach to lighten the load. Bernie ends up stranded on the coach while Baz gets away, who gloats about now having more profit for himself.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: While they do seem comedic and incompetent, Baz does [[spoiler: steal Kenji, leave Bernie on his own to get the invention for himself and threatens to scrap Sonny.]] Bernie is sympathetic by being rather dopey, but Baz can be nasty.
* PaperThinDisguise: Their "cooks" disguise has them change their hats, and nothing else. While both Thomas and Sir Robert are immediately suspicious, they're both too busy with preparations for the fair to act on it.
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: The main antagonists of ''World of Tomorrow''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Little Thomas]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/little_thomas.png]]
-->Voiced by: Rachel Miller

The young son of Albert, the stationmaster of Knapford Station. Introduced as a baby in "Thomas the Babysitter", he was later shown as a young boy in "Thomas' Fuzzy Friend".
----
* CuteButCacophonic: In his debut appearance, he would not stop crying unless Thomas didn't stop moving so he could fall sleep. This annoyed Annie, Clarabel, and all the passengers onboard them.
* GettingTheBabyToSleep: In his debut appearance, he cries whenever Thomas' train comes to a stop, but stops crying and falls asleep when Thomas gets going. This gives Thomas the idea to make a journey without stopping, and sure enough, that is what gets him back to sleep.
* OneSteveLimit: At the end of "Thomas the Babysitter", he is named after Thomas the Tank Engine himself. To tell the two Thomases apart, he is referred to as "Little Thomas" while the tank engine is referred to as "Big Thomas".
* ReusedCharacterDesign: His model is recycled from that of another blonde-haired background boy.
* RailEnthusiast: He loves trains, especially Thomas.
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Little Thomas was introduced as a baby in in "Thomas the Babysitter". In "Thomas' Fuzzy Friend", he's aged up to be a young boy.
[[/folder]]
----

** He was indirectly the reason why Thomas was hestistant to tell about Hiro in "Hero of the Rails" as he tells the tank engine that he doesn't want broken engines, which Thomas mistakes this that he can't accept engines like Hiro.

** He was indirectly the reason why Thomas was hestistant to tell about Hiro in "Hero of the Rails" as he tells the tank engine that he doesn't broken engines, which Thomas mistakes this that he can't accepts like Hiro.

** Even more so in ''WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure''. In fact, some fans thought he was actually going to tell Thomas he had had enough of him and intended to replace and sell him. Though to be fair, his attitude throughout the special stems from the fact that Thomas is causing tremendous amounts of damage both physically and financially [[RealityEnsues (meaning Sir Topham Hatt has to pay for repairs to the damaged coaches, listen to complaints from angry passengers, and deal with the repeated delays to the construction of the new branch line)]] and is [[NeverMyFault refusing to take responsibility for his actions.]] Given that, it's [[JustifiedTrope understandable that Sir Topham Hatt seems sterner than usual.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In the UK Series, he can stray from this a bit, but in the US Series he is, for the most part.

[[/folder]]

* {{Expy}}: Anyone else get any [[Film/OneHundredandOneDalmatians1996 Jasper and Horace]] vibes from these two?