Inspectors

Inspectors are people who visit Sodor from the Mainland to ensure the Island and its railways are running properly and efficiently. They also aprove new railways and engines for operation.

Engine Inspectors
   Engine Inspectors Often engine inspectors are called on to help when something has gone wrong with an engine. One of these helped Thomas when there were fish in his tank, another when James became a runaway, and another told him it was not okay to stay in the shed, when Percy tricked him. The engine inspectors usually wear the same clothes as regular drivers.

Appearances
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Railway Series

 * Tank Engine Thomas Again - Thomas Goes Fishing
 * Edward the Blue Engine - Old Iron
 * Percy the Small Engine - Percy and the Signal
 * The Eight Famous Engines - Gordon Goes Foreign
 * The Twin Engines - Hullo Twins! and The Deputation
 * Mountain Engines - Mountain Engine
 * More About Thomas the Tank Engine - The Runaway

Television Series
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 * Season 1 - Thomas Goes Fishing (first one)
 * Season 2 - Old Iron (second one), Percy and the Signal (third one) and The Runaway (fourth one)

Voice Actors

 * Kōzō Shioya (Japan; Thomas Goes Fishing)
 * Toshio Kobayashi (Japan; Old Iron and Percy and the Signal)
 * Takeshi Endo (Japan; The Runaway)

The Inspector with the Bowler Hat
"My hat! You've sucked it through your air intake!"

- The Inspector with(out) the bowler hat

   The Inspector with the Bowler Hat At the same time The Diesel came to the island, an Inspector with a bowler hat came to quieten the engines after they make a noise protesting at the Diesel. While the Diesel tries to start up, he sucks up the inspector's bowler hat, which results in him breaking down. The inspector complains to Sir Topham Hatt about the incident.

Railway Series

 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Bowled Out

Television Series

 * Season 4 - Bowled Out

Voice Actors

 * Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan)

The Three Railway Inspectors
"I wasn't sure, but now I know the Fat Controller's Railway is the best!"

- The Railway Inspector, Thomas in Charge, fourteenth season

   The Three Railway Inspectors The railway inspectors (known as the railroad inspectors in the US) are three men who commonly inspect the railway. Thomas tried to impress one of them, but only succeeded in causing havoc; covering both the inspector and the Fat Controller in coal dust. Thomas was given a chance to put everything right and the inspector was very impressed with the Fat Controller's Railway. He was one of the very important visitors that attended Dowager Hatt's tour of Sodor and after party.

He returned to inspect the island once again, but with two other inspectors that look like him. When they went to inspect the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre, he and the other inspectors weren't sure if having both Belle and Flynn is really necessary. However, the Fat Controller persuaded them that it's much safer with two.

Two of the railway inspectors came to inspect the North Western Railway, but proved to be grumpy and hard to impress. They eventually showed a change of heart to the railway after Thomas returned a lost watch to one of the inspectors, which was given to the inspector for working for the railway company for twenty years.

All three later returned to the Island again to observe Hugo. They expressed concern about Hugo's propeller.

A Railway Inspector, presumably the same one, is mentioned in the magazine story Caroline's Cruise. This story reveals that he lives on the Mainland.

Appearances
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Television Series

 * Season 14 - Thomas in Charge (one only)
 * Season 15 - Wonky Whistle (one only; cameo)
 * Season 16 - Express Coming Through (one only; cameo), Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor (one only; cameo) and Muddy Matters (one only; cameo)
 * Season 17 - Too Many Fire Engines
 * Season 19 - Lost Property (two only)
 * Season 20 - Hugo and the Airship

Specials:
 * Misty Island Rescue (one only; cameo)

Magazine Stories
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 * 2011 - Thomas in Charge (does not speak)
 * 2012 - Wonky Whistle (cameo) and Thomas and the Sound of Sodor (cameo)
 * 2013 - Too Many Fire Engines! (cameo)

Voice Actors
Railway Inspector #1: Railway Inspector #2: Railway Inspector #3:
 * Matt Wilkinson (UK; fourteenth season only)
 * William Hope (US; fourteenth season only)
 * Keith Wickham (UK/US; seventeenth season)
 * Bob Golding (UK/US; nineteenth season onwards)
 * Nobuaki Kanemitsu (Japan; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Christoffer Staib (Norway; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Kai-Hendrik Möller (Germany; seventeenth season onwards)
 * Jarosław Boberek (Poland; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Jukka Voutilaninen (Finland; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Steven Kynman (UK/US; Too Many Fire Engines)
 * Keith Wickham (UK/US; Hugo and the Airship)
 * Hiroo Sasaki (Japan; Too Many Fire Engines)
 * Shōto Kashii (Japan; Hugo and the Airship)
 * Jens Wendland (Germany; seventeenth season onwards)
 * William Hope (UK/US; seventeenth season)
 * Keith Wickham (UK/US; nineteenth season onwards)
 * Shōto Kashii (Japan; Too Many Fire Engines)
 * Kunihiro Kawamoto (Japan; Lost Property)
 * Tooru Akiyoshi (Japan; Hugo and the Airship)
 * Andreas Birnbaum (Germany; seventeenth season onwards)

The Island Inspector
"Very good work, Gordon. Very good work, indeed!"

- The Island Inspector, O the Indignity, fourteenth season

   Island Inspector The island inspector is a man who checks that the island is running well and looking well. Before his visit, Sir Topham Hatt insists that everything is cleaned on a day that he calls "Clean Sodor Day".

Appearances

 * Season 14 - O the Indignity

Voice Actors

 * Matt Wilkinson (UK; fourteenth season)
 * Glenn Wrage (US; fourteenth season)
 * Shigenori Sōya (Japan; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Jarosław Boberek (Poland; fourteenth season onwards)
 * Jukka Voutilaninen (Finland; fourteenth season onwards)

The Railway Coal Inspector
"Hooray for Henry!"

- The Railway Coal Inspector, Henry's Happy Coal, fifteenth season

<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#804000; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #804000; font-size:smaller; line-height:1.5; "><tr style="text-align:center; background:#804000;"><td colspan="2" style="padding:0; background:#804000;"> <tr style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#804000; font-size:larger;">  Coal Inspector The railway coal inspector (known as the railroad coal inspector in the US) inspects coal on the railways. He once visited Sodor to study Henry's special coal, but Henry was unaware that he was a coal inspector and wanted to impress him, so he took on normal coal. The coal inspector later told Henry that he should be very proud of his special coal. He was also one of the very important visitors that attended Dowager Hatt's tour of the island and party.

Television Series

 * Season 15 - Henry's Happy Coal and Wonky Whistle (cameo)
 * Season 16 - Express Coming Through (cameo) and Muddy Matters (cameo)

Magazine Stories

 * 2012 - Henry's Happy Coal

Voice Actors

 * Keith Wickham (UK)
 * Kerry Shale (US)
 * Christian Greger Strøm (Norway; fifteenth season onwards)
 * Jukka Voutilaninen (Finland; fifteenth season onwards)
 * Nobuaki Kanemitsu (Japan; fifteenth season onwards)