| “ | Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle! | „ |
| ~ Mr. Conductor in "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". |
Mr. Conductor is the main protagonist of Shining Time Station and the deuteragonist of the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He is an 18-inch, 20-centimeter man with magical powers and lives in the signal house on the mural at Shining Time Station.
To date, there have been three Mr. Conductors who have lived at Shining Time Station. The first was portrayed by former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr during the first season as well as the TV special 'Tis a Gift. The first Mr. C was initially very wary about newcomers, but gradually decided to reveal himself to Matt, Tanya, Stacy, and Harry.
He provided a voice of reason to Matt and Tanya, introducing them to stories about his friend Thomas the Tank Engine to show them a way to solve a problem the two friends encountered.
It was thanks to him leaving his hat behind when he temporarily left the station during Is This the End?, that J.B. King realized how important Shining Time Station was to his childhood friend, deciding in the end to leave the station open after all.
Following the events of 'Tis a Gift, Mr. Conductor decided to leave Shining Time Station to assist Mr. Nicholas at the North Pole.
When the second season began, the second Mr. Conductor, (portrayed by the late comedian George Carlin), a cousin of the first Mr. C, arrived at the station. The second Mr. Conductor was as friendly and as wise as his cousin, also using stories about Thomas and his friends to provide a lesson for Dan, Kara, and Becky. Easily more fun loving and laid back than his cousin, Mr. C usually appeared in various other outfits than his usual conductor's uniform. He was also armed with various forms of magic dust, as well as the occasional wishing star.
The third Mr. Conductor, (portrayed by actor Alec Baldwin) lived at the station during the events of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which delved further into the sources of his family's magic gold dust and just how important that magic was to the smooth running of both Shining Time Station and Sodor.
