Abstract: A high speed tape reader has a buffer positioned between the read head output and the reader output which may be connected to the input of a data receiving station. When the data receiving station sends a signal to the tape reader that it has stopped accepting data, the tape reader slows gradually to a stop. While the tape is slowing, the characters on the tape move by the read head on the tape reader and these characters are read by the tape reader but instead of being transmitted to the data receiving stations, they are stored and accumulated in the buffer in the same sequence that the characters appear on the tape. Thereafter, when the data receiving station requests more data, the data is first taken off the buffer output in the same order it entered into the buffer to prevent the tape reader from skipping characters when it received the signal that the data receiving stations are no longer accepting data.