Several narrow gauge brake vans (also known as the guard's van or - in some US narrations - caboose) have been seen on the Mid Sodor, Skarloey and Estate Railways in Thomas & Friends. They are mainly used to carry the guard or workmen, but on rare occasions when the coaches are full, the guard will allow the passengers to travel in the brake van.
Skarloey Brake Vans[]
These brake vans are seen on both the Mid Sodor and Skarloey Railways and serve as Sodor's main type of narrow gauge brake van.
Technical Details[]
Basis[]
These brake vans are a freelance design by art director, Robert Gauld-Galliers. The chassis are modified from a Cooper Craft O gauge "GWR Match Truck" (3016), with added dumb buffers. The brake van's models are identical to the narrow gauge vans, with the addition of duckets on either side.
The van's design appears to be an amalgamation of the Talyllyn Railway's No. 6 guard's van and the Glyn Valley Tramway's guard's van. The duckets are loosely based on the Talyllyn Railway's No. 5 guard's van.
Liveries[]
The brake vans have been painted in various colours, such as sky blue, red, brown, grey and dull magenta. Since the seventeenth series, only brown brake vans have appeared.
Appearances[]
Books
Magazine Stories
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Trivia[]
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A brake van at the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition.
- At the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition, a blue brake van is depicted with a narrow gauge troublesome truck face.
- In the fourth series, the diagonal bracing on the brake vans faced the opposite direction to the bracing on the goods vans. Since the sixth series, however, the bracing on the goods vans has been flipped to match the brake vans.
- The different diagonal bracing arrangements between the Skarloey vans and brake vans are akin to the Glyn Valley Tramway rolling stock.
- Since the sixteenth series, the brake vans have become slightly smaller.
- A blue small scale model, a red small scale model and a grey large-scale model of the narrow gauge brake van are in the possession of Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
- The 2022 Bachmann catalog features edited images of the red and blue brake vans as CGI models.
- Traditionally, these brake vans have dumb buffers. However, the grey brake van has standard circular buffers.
Merchandise[]
- Bachmann (blue and red)
Talyllyn Brake Van[]
This brake van is seen on the Skarloey Railway.
Technical Details[]
Basis[]
This brake van is based on the Talyllyn Railway's first guard's van, No. 5, built by Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd. in 1866. Beatrice from The Railway Series shares the same basis.
Unlike its basis, the brake van seen in the television series have two windows on at least one end.
Livery[]
This brake van is painted in the Talyllyn Railway's standard red and brown livery, identical to its basis.
Appearances[]
Padarn Brake Van[]
This brake van is seen at the Blue Mountain Quarry. It was once seen on a standard gauge host truck.
Technical Details[]
Basis[]
This brake van is based on the ones used on the Padarn Railway, a slate carrying line. A preserved example of one of these brake vans can be found at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn on the Talyllyn Railway, which likely formed the basis for the one seen in the teleivison series.
Unlike its basis, the brake van seen in the television series has four windows on its end and is significantly wider.
Livery[]
This brake van is painted dark red with light red frames.
Appearances[]
Thomas & Friends[]
Specials[]
- 2012 - Blue Mountain Mystery
Music Videos[]
- Blue Mountain Mystery - Working Together and Blue Mountain Mystery
Videos[]
| Locomotives | Duke | Smudger | Falcon | Stuart | Bertram |
|---|---|
| People | The Mid Sodor Railway Manager |
| Stations | Arlesburgh Harbour** | Arlesburgh Bridge Street** | Ffarquhar Road** | Bertram's Old Mine** | Marthwaite** | Arlesdale Green** | Duke's Station | Cas-ny-Hawin** | Ulfstead Road** | Elm Farm | Ballamoddey** | Valesbridge | King Orry's Bridge** |