  Brane gas cosmology is a scenario inspired by string theory which proposes a
simple resolution to the initial singularity problem and gives a dynamical
explanation for the number of spatial dimensions of our universe. In this work
we have studied analytically and numerically the late-time behaviour of these
type of cosmologies taking a proper care of the annihilation of winding modes.
This has help us to clarify and extend several aspects of their dynamics. We
have found that the decay of winding states into non-winding states behaving
like a gas of ordinary non-relativistic particles precludes the existence of a
late expansion phase of the universe and obstructs the growth of three large
spatial dimensions as we observe today. We propose a generic solution to this
problem by considering the dynamics of a gas of non-static branes. We have also
obtained a simple criterion on the initial conditions to ensure the small
string coupling approximation along the whole dynamical evolution, and
consequently, the consistency of an effective low-energy description. Finally,
we have reexamined the general conditions for a loitering period in the
evolution of the universe which could serve as a mechanism to resolve the {\sl
brane problem} - a problem equivalent to the {\sl domain wall problem} in
standard cosmology - and discussed the scaling properties of a self-interacting
network of winding modes taking into account the effects of the dilaton
dynamics.
