Brake Vans

  CGI Series= |-|Model Series= |-|Railway Series=   Brake vans (BR Standard 20 Ton)   Railway Series=   Brake vans (N.E. Brake Van)   CGI Series= |-|Model Series=   Brake vans (Southern Railway 25 Ton "Pillbox")   CGI Series= |-|Railway Series=   Brake vans (LMS 20 Ton) <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:350px; background:#666666; border-collapse:collapse; border-collapse:collapse border:1px solid #666666; font-size:smaller; line-height:1.5; "><tr style="text-align:center; background:#666666;"> <td colspan="2" style="padding:0; background:#FFFFFF; color:#666666;"> CGI Series= |-|Model Series= |-|Railway Series= <tr style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#666666; font-size:larger;">  Brake vans (GWR "Toads") <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:350px; background:#cbcbcb; border-collapse:collapse; border-collapse:collapse border:1px solid #cbcbcb; font-size:smaller; line-height:1.5; "><tr style="text-align:center; background:#cbcbcb;"> <td colspan="2" style="padding:0; background:#FFFFFF; color:#cbcbcb;"> CGI Series= <tr style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#cbcbcb; font-size:larger;">  Brake vans (W.&.L.L. Railway vans) The brake van, also known as the guard's van, guard's car or the caboose (in American narrations), is an important part of every goods train.

It carries the guard and is equipped with a strong brake to assist with slowing and stopping the train. From here, the guard can keep an eye on the train in case of problems, such as hot axle boxes, or trucks becoming uncoupled while running.

Trivia

 * A few brake vans are on display; one at Drayton Manor along with a model of Toad, one at the British Museum, and a few at the Hara Model Railway Museum.
 * To date, only four brake vans have been named: Beatrice, Cora, Toad and Bradford. They, along with The Spiteful Brake Van, The Elderly Brake Van and The Old Guard's Van are so far the only known brake vans to have faces. A brake van was briefly seen with a face in the second season episode, A Close Shave. Another brake van with a face appeared in the Railway Series pop-up book, James the Red Engine and the Troublesome Trucks.
 * Between the eighth and fifteen seasons, brake vans were rarely seen. Since the sixteenth season, brake vans have been seen more often.
 * Several different types of standard gauge brake vans have been seen on the North Western Railway:
 * BR Standard 20 Ton vans
 * N.E. Brake vans
 * Southern Railway 25 Ton "Pillbox" vans
 * LMS 20 Ton vans
 * GWR "Toads"
 * Narrow gauge Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway vans scaled up to standard gauge (albeit still carrying narrow gauge "chopper"-type couplings and lacking buffers)
 * The brake vans seen from the first to the fifth season were made out of modified Tenmille gauge one kits. These kits are still distributed by Tenmille today.
 * In most of the merchandise ranges, the brake vans are portrayed as American cabooses.
 * Although real railways legally require brake vans at the opposite ends of trains, there have been numerous instances in which trains on the Island of Sodor went without them. Some brake vans were missing as a mistake in setting up the scene.  Other engines went without brake vans intentionally to enhance the story.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway (as a caboose; red, yellow, musical, Halloween, Day Out with Thomas 2007 Exclusive and Christmas/Holiday versions)
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued outside Asia)
 * TrackMaster
 * Lionel Trains (as a caboose)
 * Take Along (as a caboose; discontinued)
 * Take-n-Play (as a caboose)
 * Thomas Engine Collection Series (with Mail coach; discontinued)
 * Bachmann (HO and large scale)
 * Hornby (two versions; brown and grey (grey discontinued))
 * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)