Bust My Buffers

> An engine's not an engine without a buffer. Them's the rules of the railway!
>
> Salty

**Bust My Buffers!** is the ninth episode of the sixteenth series.

## Plot

Gordon is at Brendam Docks dropping off passengers. Diesel, 'Arry and Bert are shunting there. Gordon orders Diesel to move out of his way, but Diesel is cheeky and orders Gordon to make way for his flatbed. Gordon argues that he is grand and that the Diesels are not. Gordon charges towards Diesel and bangs his flatbed hard, only for Gordon to end up damaging his bufferbeam. The diesels laugh as the Docks Manager walks up and orders Gordon to deliver some engine parts to the Dieselworks. The Docks Manager then tells him that once he has completed the delivery, he must come back to the docks to pick up passengers.

Later, Gordon steams into the Dieselworks but is far too busy being snooty to Paxton and Norman, to notice what he is doing and collides with a truck. The impact makes his already broken bufferbeam drop off completely. Den and Dart are watching and think that Gordon needs his bufferbeam fixed. Gordon thinks it is improper for a diesel engine to fix a steam engine and declines their offer. Just outside the Dieselworks, Gordon meets Mavis who tells Gordon to get his bufferbeam mended as it is not safe. Gordon is sure he will be safe, but Mavis insists that he go back to let Den and Dart fix him. Gordon reluctantly agrees.

Inside the Dieselworks, Den and Dart show Gordon a replacement bufferbeam that he can wear until his can be mended. Gordon is horrified; his replacement bufferbeam is a diesel's bufferbeam. Gordon refuses to have the bufferbeam fitted and races away. Just as he is leaving, he meets Salty, who is surprised to see Gordon without his buffers. Salty tells Gordon that an engine is not an engine without buffers and insists that he go back into the Dieselworks as it is against the railway rules to work without buffers. Gordon grumpily heads back inside the Dieselworks with Salty.

Later, Gordon has the hazard-striped bufferbeam fitted and heads towards the Docks to pick up his passengers. He decides he must pick up his passengers quickly. He hopes the docks will be quiet so that no one else will see him, but it is not. The docks is busier than ever. Diesel, 'Arry and Bert roll past and call Gordon a diesel, which makes him feel very depressed and embarrassed. Thomas puffs over and reminds Gordon that his bufferbeam means that he can still work and be really useful. Gordon does not pout any more, he knows Thomas is right and puffs proudly out of the docks.

Everyone sees Gordon with his diesel bufferbeam, but he does not feel silly at all. Some children even cheer for him and the diesels. After dropping off his passengers, Gordon returns to the Dieselworks. Den and Dart are waiting with Gordon's fixed bufferbeam. Den says that Gordon will no longer have to run away which leads Gordon to admit that he had been silly and a little snooty earlier to think that diesel engines cannot fix steam engines. Gordon thanks the diesels and Dart tells Gordon that he is always welcome at the Dieselworks - with or without buffers.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Gordon
* Diesel
* Mavis
* 'Arry and Bert
* Salty
* Den
* Dart
* The Dock Manager
* The Schoolchildren
* Edward Template:Cameo
* Henry Template:Cameo
* James Template:Cameo
* Percy Template:Cameo
* Toby Template:Cameo
* Emily Template:Cameo
* Rosie Template:Cameo
* Paxton Template:Cameo
* Norman Template:Cameo
* Henrietta Template:Cameo
* Happy Hook Template:Cameo
* The Welsh Bird Watcher Template:Cameo
* Big Mickey Template:Note
* Derek Template:Note

Some children cheer for Gordon. The girl in the red dress is voiced by Teresa Gallagher in both narrations.

## Locations

* Knapford Iron Bridge
* Brendam Docks
* Vicarstown Dieselworks
	+ Vicarstown Diesel Sheds
	+ Diesel 10's Shed
* Vicarstown Tunnel
* Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox

## Cast

### UK

* Ben Small as Thomas
* Keith Wickham as Gordon, Salty and Den
* Kerry Shale as Diesel and 'Arry
* Teresa Gallagher as Mavis and the Children
* William Hope as Bert
* Rupert Degas as Dart
* Matt Wilkinson as the Dock Manager

### US

* Martin Sherman as Thomas
* Kerry Shale as Gordon and 'Arry
* Michael Brandon as Diesel
* Jules de Jongh as Mavis and the Children
* William Hope as Bert and the Dock Manager
* Keith Wickham as Salty and Den
* Rupert Degas as Dart

## Trivia

* Originally, Derek was going to return, but when animating the episode, "Paxman" in the script was mistaken for Paxton.Template:Ref If the script error had been corrected, it would have been Derek's first episode appearance since his debut and his first since Calling All Engines!
* An arrangement of Gordon's theme by Robert Hartshorne is heard.
* Gordon's replacement bufferbeam is a retextured copy of Den's bufferbeam but yellow.
* During the voice recording session for this episode, in which Ben Small recorded two lines, and Thomas Toots the Crows on Wednesday 8th June 2011, fellow Wikia user Elliot K. Ward visited The Sound Company on his birthday with Ben Small, Keith Wickham, Sharon Miller and Dave Peacock, as organised by producer Ian McCue and HiT Entertainment.
* Most television guides in the UK refer to this episode as **Bust My Bumpers**.
* The title of this episode is the engine quote of “Bust my Buffers!”
* This was the last episode of several things:
	+ 'Arry and Bert's last speaking roles until the twentieth series episode, Diesel and the Ducklings.
	+ The last episode to feature Rupert Degas as Dart.
	+ The last appearance of the Ladle Trucks until Journey Beyond Sodor.

## Goofs

* Throughout the episode, the bufferbeams were referred to as "buffers."
* In the UK narration, the narrator says that the diesels were shunting coal trucks at the docks, but they were shunting flatbeds.
* In the first shot of Gordon entering the Docks, his tender is not rendered properly, as the first coach in his train seems to overlap it.