Narrow gauge freight brakevans were originally kept in a separate list from the passenger cars, but the numbering become confused when some vans were renumbered on the North Australia Railway without references begin maintained to the original number, or the fact that that number may have already been used on the Central Australia Railway. This has resulted in many gaps in the numeric listing and some doubt exists as to which actual list they obtained a number from (i.e. NYAB 15 to 17 could be members of the brake van or passenger car lists).

All freight brakevan codes began with the prefix "NY" whereas the passenger brakevans prefix was "NH". For details of narrow gauge passenger brakevans see the narrow gauge passenger carriage listing. The vans that were numbered in the passenger car list are generally recorded in the narrow gauge passenger car listing, except were the numbering become so confused that it was easier to record things here.