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A point overlooked in the article is the Fat Controllers' complete disregard of environmental concerns. The fact that he continues to operate polluting steam tr

A point overlooked in the article is the Fat Controllers' complete disregard of environmental concerns. The fact that he continues to operate polluting steam trains with impunity suggests that any environmental lobby groups that may exist on the island have very little power. This also suggests that he has a lot of power over whatever form of government exists on the island. Likewise he has the support of the locals, possibly due to his being a major source of employment on the island. No doubt his sentient engines are also a major draw for tourists.

User23 4y ago
But it’s not overlooked. The article notes the difficulty presented by the “polluting steam trains” being sentient beings.
mr_toad 4y ago
Even as a child the apparently irrational nostalgia for the old ways and the denigration of anything new (steam vs diesel) bothered me. I’m not sure if this was intentional and self-aware commentary, or if the series was really trying to espouse the idea that the old ways are better.
- FridayoLeary 4y ago
  There is a strong antipathy towards industrialism in the series despite the facts that it is the main profit source for the rail company and steam engines being the symbol of the industrial revolution. Take for example the dreaded Trucks who are universally despised and the crane in the dockyard who is nasty to everyone. An example of nostalgia trumping rational considerations is the story of Toby. An obsolete tram is finally retired from service only to be recomissioned by the Fat Controller to operate on the railway. Clearly a tram on a railway is impractical and inefficient.
- hakfoo 4y ago
  I think it originally came from the fact the book series dates to the 1940s. The earliest ones actually predate the 1946 nationalization of British railways. Diesel locomotives were strange and disruptive to the steam-based world that was the baseline. What gets me is that a tiny island with only trivial industry has acquired an incredibly random fleet of locomotives. In practice, you'd expect to see either a small number of engines built as a fleet, or still relatively similar engines built over time with incremental enhancements. I could sort of rationalize it if it were being ran as a "hobby business"-- not necessarily based on economic needs, but because the operators are just pathological locomotive collectors, perhaps collecting what British Rail shed at scrap prices as it dieselized.

User23 4y ago

But it’s not overlooked. The article notes the difficulty presented by the “polluting steam trains” being sentient beings.

mr_toad 4y ago

Even as a child the apparently irrational nostalgia for the old ways and the denigration of anything new (steam vs diesel) bothered me. I’m not sure if this was intentional and self-aware commentary, or if the series was really trying to espouse the idea that the old ways are better.

FridayoLeary 4y ago
There is a strong antipathy towards industrialism in the series despite the facts that it is the main profit source for the rail company and steam engines being the symbol of the industrial revolution. Take for example the dreaded Trucks who are universally despised and the crane in the dockyard who is nasty to everyone. An example of nostalgia trumping rational considerations is the story of Toby. An obsolete tram is finally retired from service only to be recomissioned by the Fat Controller to operate on the railway. Clearly a tram on a railway is impractical and inefficient.
hakfoo 4y ago
I think it originally came from the fact the book series dates to the 1940s. The earliest ones actually predate the 1946 nationalization of British railways. Diesel locomotives were strange and disruptive to the steam-based world that was the baseline. What gets me is that a tiny island with only trivial industry has acquired an incredibly random fleet of locomotives. In practice, you'd expect to see either a small number of engines built as a fleet, or still relatively similar engines built over time with incremental enhancements. I could sort of rationalize it if it were being ran as a "hobby business"-- not necessarily based on economic needs, but because the operators are just pathological locomotive collectors, perhaps collecting what British Rail shed at scrap prices as it dieselized.