Bertie (RWS)

Bertie is a red bus who works alongside Thomas' Branch Line. He is owned by Sodor Roadways.

Biography
After Thomas became stuck in a snowdrift, Bertie came to rescue Thomas' passengers. He later raced Thomas in 1948 after claiming he was the faster of the two but lost after having to stop at a traffic light.

When Thomas' fireman did not come into work, Bertie promised to help his passengers catch Edward's train. However, he was late at the junction and missed him at the station. Bertie chased after Edward and almost caught him at the next station, but arrived just as he left. Due to being able to climb hills better than him, Bertie finally caught up to Edward at the third station. Edward apologised to Bertie for the chase and the passengers cheered at him.

When the Viaduct was being repaired, the Main Line engines were delayed in bringing Thomas his passengers, thus making Thomas late in meeting Bertie at the stations along the branch. Bertie teased Thomas about being slow because of this and even challenged him to another race, but had to eat his words after breaking down. Thomas took his passengers home and called for help at the next station. When he was repaired, Bertie apologised to Thomas for teasing him and thanked him for helping his passengers.

Bertie was once mentioned as being sick and unable to help Toby and Henrietta with carrying the quarry workers.

After the partial collapse of Henry's Tunnel, Bertie helped pick up visitors who wanted to see the bust of the Thin Clergyman unveiled at Tidmouth.

Personality
Bertie is friendly and ready to help anyone in need. However, he can be quite cheeky and can even be boastful about himself, especially to Thomas, always joking around and teasing him about their races. He can sometimes be quite grumpy, as whenever he breaks down or gets stuck, he grumbles about it. He is always, however, easy-going and cheerful to everyone he sees. Unlike Bulgy, Bertie respects the railway and its engines, and serves as one of the many minds keeping the double-decker bus in line.

Basis
Bertie is based on an AEC Regal "T Class" London Country Area bus, but without a head code box. Eight of these are known to survive in preservation. One of these, T31, is believed to have been the first bus to be privately preserved in the UK.

Bertie also bares resemblance to a post-war Leyland Motors "Tiger", type PS-1/PS-2, built between 1946 and 1953, with several examples surviving in preservation.

Livery
Bertie is painted in the common red livery of buses in the United Kingdom, mostly famously used by London Transport. In the first illustration of Thomas and Bertie he has a black stripe along his side, however this never appears in any other illustrations. In the pop-up book Bertie the Bus and Thomas the Tank Engine, he has a large cream stripe along his sides.

Appearances
Railway Series= {{Scroll box|

The Railway Series

 * Tank Engine Thomas Again - Thomas, Terence and the Snow and Thomas and Bertie
 * Edward the Blue Engine - Bertie's Chase
 * The Eight Famous Engines - The Fat Controller's Engines
 * Really Useful Engines - Stop Thief!
 * More About Thomas the Tank Engine - Better Late Than Never
 * Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines - Rabbits and Golden Jubilee
 * Thomas and Victoria - Overloaded
 * Thomas and his Friends - Centenary

Companion Volumes
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 * 1976 - Famous Engines
 * 1983 - Bertie the Bus and Thomas the Tank Engine
 * 1984 - Thomas the Tank Engine and the Tractor
 * 1987 - Thomas and the Evil Diesel
 * 1992 - Thomas and the Hurricane
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection
 * -|Other Media=

Annual Stories

 * 1985 - Thomas and the Important Visitor and Bertie Saves the Day
 * 1986 - Funnel Trouble and Golden Oldies
 * 1989 - The Trouble with Sheep
 * 1990 - Thomas and the Cricketers, Old Square Wheels and Points of No Return
 * 1991 - Thomas and the Sunday School Outing
 * 1992 - Bertie to the Rescue
 * 1993 - James' Traffic Jam and Thomas and the Snow Block
 * 1994 - Thomas and the Tickles and Bertie the Snow Bus
 * 1995 - Easter Egg Special
 * 1996 - All Pull Together

Books
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 * 1986 - Thomas Goes to Town
 * 1987 - Thomas' ABC
 * 1989 - Thomas's Book of Colours

Trivia

 * Bertie's registration number CRD 54 is a reference to C. Reginald Dalby's name and the publication year of the book Edward the Blue Engine, 1954.
 * By coincidence, there is a separate children's book written by Ingrid Pitt with a character known as Bertie the Bus published in 1981.