Sir Robert Norramby

"Ladies, and Gentlemen. Engines, and coaches. I give you Sir Robert Norramby, Earl of Sodor."

- The Fat Controller, King of the Railway

   Sir Robert Norramby, Earl of Sodor    Sir Richard Robert Norramby, also known as Sir Robert Norramby, is the Earl of Sodor (in the television series), and the Duke of Sodor (in the Railway Series). He owns Stephen, Millie, and Ulfstead Castle, and is Duke's current grace. He is a friend of Sir Topham Hatt's.
 * Born: 1940

Bio in the Railway Series
Sir Robert Norramby succeeded the role as the Duke of Sodor as a minor, when his father, the previous duke, was killed during the 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. Norramby was 25 years old when he opened the Skarloey Railway Loop Line, and was 29 years old when Duke was rediscovered years later.

Bio in the Television series
After spending many years travelling the world, the Earl returned to Sodor to restore King Godred's Castle on his estate at Ulfstead. Later, he sent Stephen to the Sodor Steamworks to have him restored in time for the opening of the castle. However, when Stephen went missing in a mine, he managed to find King Godred's golden crown, something that the Earl was desperately looking for.

One Christmas, he convinced Sir Topham Hatt to dress up as Santa Claus to entertain the children at the Ulfstead Castle Christmas Fair. He also sent Stephen to get tea and scones for castle tea rooms.

The Earl attended to the display of the dinosaur that had been found at the Clay Pits. He later built and opened a new Dinosaur Park on his estate. He also attended the opening ceremony for the new branch line. He held a Christmas Luncheon at his castle.

He owns a yellow car.

Persona
Sir Robert Norramby is a railway buff and a gentleman explorer, who owns an estate on the island of Sodor. With his white beard and longish hair he may seem a little eccentric, but he is an old friend of Sir Topham Hatt and has come home to the island after many years travelling the world. Sir Robert often says "I love a good surprise!". Sir Robert is a kind and caring man, but he can be stern to his engines if they misbehave.

Appearances
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Railway Series

 * Very Old Engines
 * Duke the Lost Engine

Television series

 * Season 4 - Granpuff (indirectly mentioned)
 * Season 17 - The Switch, Too Many Fire Engines (cameo), Santa's Little Engine, and The Afternoon Tea Express
 * Season 18 - Missing Gator (mentioned), Duncan the Humbug (cameo), Marion and the Dinosaurs, Samson at Your Service (does not speak) and Millie and the Volcano
 * Season 19 - Diesel's Ghostly Christmas and Reds vs. Blues

Specials:
 * King of the Railway
 * Tale of the Brave
 * Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (cameo)

Magazine stories
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 * 2014 - The Afternoon Tea Express and Emily Makes a Splash! (speaks in speech bubble only)
 * 2015 - Marion and the Dinosaurs and Missing Gator (mentioned)

Voice Actors

 * Mike Grady (UK/US)
 * Bernd Stephan (Germany)
 * Miłogost Reczek (Poland)
 * Shingo Fujimori (Japan; King of the Railway only)
 * Kiyonobu Suzuki (Japan; seventeenth season onwards)
 * Per Skjøldsvik (Norway; King of the Railway onwards, excluding the seventeenth season)
 * Helge Winther Larsen (Norway; seventeenth season only)
 * Humberto Vélez (Mexico; King of the Railway onwards)
 * Rolando de Castro (Mexico; Tale of the Brave only)
 * Stan Limburg (The Netherlands)
 * Torbjørn Hummel (Denmark)
 * Sérgio Rufino (Brazil)
 * Leopoldo Ballesteros (Spain)

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 very old man.
 * The Earl also has his own segments which feature on DVD releases in which he asks viewers questions about episodes entitled Asking Questions.
 * Sir Robert Norramby was the first Railway Series character to be introduced in the television series since Tom Tipper, in Season 4. However, Mr. Percival, introduced in Season 9, shares the moniker of "The Thin Controller" with the narrow-gauge controllers in the Railway Series.