The Thin Controller

""We have no money to mend you", he said, "and if happens again, I'll leave you at the back of the shed!" Why does he always pick on me? It's no fair."

- Duncan, Mountain Engines

So far, there have been four controllers who have managed the Skarloey Railway in the Railway Series.

Mr. Mack
Mr. Mack was the first manager of the Skarloey Railway. It is unknown who succeeded him when he retired. He only appeared in Very Old Engines.

He did not know much about engines' feelings and after failing time and time again to steam Skarloey, he lost patience and covered him up with a tarpaulin. Later, while travelling on Skarloey, he was knocked into a bush after he closed Skarloey's regulator too quickly and he rode in Beatrice for the remainder of the journey. However, Mr. Mack did gain patience after he brought Mr. Bobbie to be Skarloey's driver. He then arranged for Skarloey to have an extra set of wheels and be rebuilt with a cab.

Mr. Robert Sam (1881-1971)
Mr. Robert Sam was Sir Handel Brown's General Manager of the Skarloey Railway, having joined the Company at the age of 16 in 1897. He took over as General Manager in 1936 and for some time before Sir Handel's death in 1950 ran the railway with the line's Foreman, Mr. David Hugh. This continued for a little while in 1950, until Robert stepped down in favour of his only son, Peter.

He died in 1971 at the age of 90 years old.

Mr. Peter Sam (1915-)
Mr. Peter Sam was the former controller of the Skarloey Railway. He succeeded his father, Mr. Robert Sam, in 1951 and was hired by the owner, Sir Handel Lloyd Brown. Like his father, he spent his entire working life on the Skarloey.

He was first hired as Rheneas' driver when the railway was facing hard times and he also served as a guard for all of the trains. When Stuart and Falcon were purchased by the Skarloey Railway, Stuart was renamed Peter Sam in his honour. He then attended Skarloey and Rheneas' hundredth birthday and invited Sir Robert Norramby, the Duke of Sodor. In 1959, Mr. Peter Sam found an old saloon coach in a garden at Harwick. When he retired in 1980, he was succeeded by his son, Roger Sam.

Mr. Roger Sam (1948-)
Mr. Roger Sam is the current controller of the Skarloey Railway. After ten years of acting as assistant manager, he took over the role of his father in 1980 with the unanimous approval of the Skarloey Railway Board.

In 1982, he chose Sir Handel to visit the Talyllyn Railway to help while Talyllyn was being mended. He later arranged for another engine to be built and help out with the additional traffic that had come to the railway line over the years. He named the engine, Ivo Hugh, after the railway's former foreman.

When Sir Handel broke his fire-bars loose on purpose, Mr. Roger Sam sent him to the shed and he awaited for repairs. However, Sir Handel thought that Mr. Roger Sam had locked him in the shed in disgrace and longed to be let out. When the Thin Controller finally came to see Sir Handel, he was quick to confess that he damaged his fire-bars on purpose. The Thin Controller, thinking quickly, thanked Sir Handel for admitting his mistake and arranged for him to receive some new fire-bars. However, he neglected to tell him that they had only been delivered that morning.

Bio in the Television Series
In the television series, the role of the controller of the Skarloey Railway was first taken by Sir Topham Hatt in the fourth season. In the ninth season, Mr. Peregrine Percival became the second controller of the Skarloey Railway. He was hired to help Sir Topham Hatt manage the ever-increasing size of his railway industry.

Mr. Percival also manages the Culdee Fell Railway in the television series and runs a Cable Railway in the magazines. He is married to Mrs. Polly Percival and they have five children.

Persona
Mr. Mack did not know much about an engines' feelings and did not have the proper patience to steam an engine. However, he did gain patience after he brought Mr. Bobbie to be Skarloey's driver.

Mr. Peter Sam was rather strict and reprimanded engines whenever they would get into trouble; Sir Handel was most impressed by this. He was firm, but fair and once jokingly threatened to take Sir Handel to pieces when he pretended to be ill so he would not have to take part in the television event of Skarloey's 95th birthday. However, Duncan thought that the Thin Controller only picked on him.

Appearances
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Railway Series

 * Four Little Engines - Sir Handel and Old Faithful (does not speak)
 * The Little Old Engine - Trucks!, Home at Last (not seen) and Little Old Twins
 * Gallant Old Engine - Special Funnel (not seen), Passengers and Polish (not seen; does not speak) and Gallant Old Engine (does not speak)
 * Mountain Engines - Bad Look-Out (mentioned)
 * Very Old Engines - Crosspatch, Bucking Bronco, Stick-to-the-Mud (does not speak) and Duck and Dukes
 * Duke the Lost Engine - Granpuff (mentioned) and Sleeping Beauty (mentioned)
 * Great Little Engines - Patience is a Virtue and Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem (mentioned)
 * New Little Engine - Speedkiller (not seen; does not speak), Sir Handel's Plan and I Name this Engine...

The Thin Controllers, Mr. Mack, Mr. Peter Sam and Mr. Percival have appeared in the My Thomas Story Library series. Mr. Peter Sam also made an appearance in the Mr. Perkins segment on The Thomas Way; in the US version, he was referred to as Mr. Percival. }}

Trivia

 * In the television series, Mr. Percival is also referred to as the "Thin Controller" in the UK narration.
 * Mr. Robert Sam is based on Mr. Edward Thomas, the Talyllyn Railway's last "controller" before preservation and namesake of No. 4.