The Festiniog were excempt from attaching brake vans to goods trains and apart from gravity slate trains most others ran mixed. The brakes vans were used principally by brakesman from gravity slate trains travelling back up the line. It is thought that there were five of these vehicles with two balconies and that they were built in the early 1900s. the last surviving vehicle No.6 was withdrawn in the mid 1960s and the body was relegated to lineside duties.