Richard Robert Norramby

   Richard Robert Norramby    Ricard Robert Norrambyis the current Duke of Sodor.
 * Born: 1940

Bio
Sir Robert Norramby succeeded to the title of "Duke" of Sodor as a minor in 1943, when his father, the previous "Duke", was killed in action during the Second World War. He was seven years old when the Mid Sodor Railway closed, and was unaware that the "Dukes" were presented with an engine named in their honour, specifically known as Duke.

As he was unaware, he did not claim the engine during the railway's closure, and Duke was locked in a shed for several years. He opened the Skarloey Railway Loop Line at Lakeside in 1965, at the age of 25. He drove Skarloey around the Loop, and then gave a speech to the assembled crowd and engines. Due to a misunderstood conversation with Duck, Peter Sam mistakenly belived he had been scrapped; Sir Robert assured the engine he was real and well.

Also in 1965, he was forced to sell his Mansion on the Estate, life there having become impossible, and moved into a comfortable house on the outskirts of Ulfstead. Ulfstead Castle was offered to the Sodor Island Trust, while the castle muniments, which included such treasures as the Sigrid Saga and the Book of Sir Harald, were placed on loan to the Island Records Office at Suddery.

Duke was found in 1969, while Sir Robert was 29. The Earl visited Duke before he was removed from his shed; Duke insisted on being cleand beforehand. He shared the costs of Duke's restoration with Sir Topham Hatt and Sir Handel Lloyd Brown.

Railway Series

 * Very Old Engines - Duck and Dukes
 * Duke the Lost Engine - Sleeping Beauty

Television Series

 * Season 4 - Granpuff (indirectly mentioned)

Trivia

 * It is stated in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, that Sir Robert Norramby opened the Skarloey Railway loop line at 25 years old. However, Very Old Engines depicts him as a old man.
 * He is occasionally referred to as the Duke of Sodor due to the Earls involvement in the Duchy of Lancaster, which lacks a Duke.