Sir Topham Hatt III

Sir Stephen Topham Hatt (9th March 1941 - 23rd December 2019) was the third controller of the North Western Railway, succeeding his father, Sir Charles Topham Hatt.

Early Life (1941 - 1950s)
Stephen was born in 1941 to Sir Charles Topham Hatt (1914 - 1997) and Amanda Hatt (1916 - 2005), his sister Bridget was born two years later in 1943. In 1951, his grandfather, Sir Topham Hatt I, took him and Brigdge on a holiday on an old line in East Anglia, where they met Toby. Stephen was excited when he first met Toby, but Bridget accidentally offended him by assuming he was an electric tram.

Work (1960s - 1984)
In 1963, he set up a company known as Sudrian Publishing, which published books from Sudrian writers. He was the CEO of the company until 1975. In 1970, he married Helen Margaret (1945 - 1987). They had three children: Richard Topham (1972 - ), Charles Nicholas (1974 - ) and Emily Helen (1977 - ).

In 1975, Stephen decided to retire from being CEO of Sudrian Publishing, so he left his wife to be CEO while he became an engine driver. In 1979, he was promoted to stationmaster of Knapford Station.

Controller Period (1984 - 2018)
He succeeded Charles Topham as the controller of the North Western Railway in 1984. He made changes to the Flying Kipper service; he purchased Ella, a high-speed diesel, to take over the Flying Kipper duties from Henry. He attended the premiere of the new TV series based on his railway, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. In 1987, Helen died and Stephen went into a depression state. However, he soon remarried; he married Elizabeth Fentley in 1988.

He played a part in the construction of Jock, which was a project dear to his father's heart. With great skill, he masterminded the arrangements for the royal visit in 1995, when he welcomed the Prince of Wales on his first visit to Sodor. He later succeeded to his father's baronetcy upon his death in 1997.

In 2013, Roger Smith (1955 - ), CEO of the company Buy 'n' Large Inc., attempted to manipulate Stephen into giving BnL complete legal control over the railway. When Stephen caught track of the plan, he decided to put a lawsuit against the company. The company was then charged with "manipulation, lying and attempting to get control of the railway", and the company had to pay fifty million pounds to Stephen. Stephen then cut ties with the company and the company nearly went out of business.

Retirement and Death (2018 - 2019)
Stephen then retired in 2018, and was succeeded by his son, Richard. He was then shot in his home by an unknown person. He was buried at Wellsworth.

Engines Acquired During Controller Period

 * Ella (1984)