Silver Star (NZR train)

The Silver Star was a luxury passenger train that ran overnight between Auckland and Wellington on the North Island Main Trunk railway of New Zealand. The train ran from Monday, 6 September 1971 until Sunday, 8 June 1979. It replaced the Night Limited express passenger trains, which provided a faster service than the "Ordinary" Expresses by stopping at only six intermediate stations en route and not dragging postal or parcels vans at the rear. Designed as a "hotel on wheels", its carriages were distinctive in New Zealand; rather than being painted in the traditional red, the Silver Star's carriages were made of stainless steel, and silver in appearance. Original planning of the train envisaged the sleeping cars being the basis of new standard NZR passenger stock with future passenger trains of 6 carriages and van, 7 stainless steel units of 30 tons each (210) tons pulled by a 1425 hp DA. However planning for the Limited replacement became more ambitious in the early 1960s, moving away from 25 ton, 55 ft stainless carriages of the type used on the 3 ft 6inch, QR Sunlander to sleeping cars of standard gauge 9 ft 9inch, standard gauge loading gauge. As a result the usual Silver star consist of 35 ton carriages would weigh 410 tons and lead to the order for superpower DX locomotive of 2750 hp from General Electric to pull them and express freight on the NIMT and result in a large trackside work on the NIMT and the Silver stars alternative route via Marton- Wanganu-Stratford - Taurmaranui, to accommodate standard gauge width carriages running on 3 ft 6 inch.

The train was NZR's attempt to compete with the introduction of jet aircraft for business traffic between Auckland and Wellington. It was intended to improve the Railways staff morale and image, and the concept was based on a shorter version of NSW Railways,standard gauge, Southern Aurora,75 ft, 20 Passenger berth, sleeping cars introduced in 1962, providing luxury equal to the last US trains Broadway Limited, Chief, Crescent and Panama Limited, providing sleeping berths and Pullman comfort for all. Planning of the new Auckland and Wellington overnight express began in 1963 and 1964, and the concept of the train, as involving, an order for 31 stainless steel carriages - with two trainsets each night, of 5 twinette carriages, 5 single berth sleepers (16 beds per carriage), a licensed buffet car and a power car, never changed. The public announcement of plans for the new train were announced in December 1965 Extensive study was made of other early 1960's Australian overnight train sets, particularly the Sundlander and Overland and similar designs in the USA, the final Santa Fe High level and Burlington cars. New Zealand built cars were estimated to cost by NZR CME, J.Black in 1958, 25,000 pounds for a second class carriage and 35,000 pounds for a first class car. By 1960 NZR had concluded that stainless steel carriages, which lowered maintenance needs and avoided the need to paint were preferable, even with at a cost premium of 12-20%. That effectively meant, in 1970 a carriage cost of $100,000+ for Japanese or Australian stainless steel construction, cf with $60,000 to 70,000 for conventional Italian or Swedish built first class cars.( In 1941 NZR built 31 seat 1st class cars cost 7140 pounds, 2nd class 56 seat carriages, 5920 pounds ) In 1967 the new train was vigorously promoted by Minister of Railways, J.B. Gordon, on the grounds it would deliver a clear return, on its purchase cost and operation. Ironically most equivalent overseas services ceased that year and following US Mail ending its use of almost all US rail passenger services for 1st class mail, in Sept 1967, Santa Fe applied to ICC to withdraw 33 out of 39 of its long distance expresses. That is, all but the LA-Chicago Super Chief and its Frisco connection, the Texas Chief (Chicago-Houston), its Dallas connection and 2 LA San Diego locals. Nevertheless approval for NZR to release tenders for the new train were belatedly made on 19 November 1968. The Silver Star service broke new ground in New Zealand by providing a full on-board crew of car stewards (sourced from the inter-island rail ferry service) who doubled as dining car staff at meal times. A great deal of study had been made of on train meal provision, particularly of German and British Rail. The high wage and other industrial demands of the ferry stewards used, were one of the reasons the service failed. However, the product was effectively ten years too late. Travel by National Airways Corporation 737 took just over one hour; the Silver Star, by contrast, took around 12 hours and 30 minutes. Due to the freeze on rail fare and charges imposed by the Kirk Labour Government, which effectively meant the overnight price from Wellington to Auckland was held at $18 from late 1971 to early 1976, use of the train was high in 1974-5 and 1975-6. In the late 1970s the usual overnight patronage was only about 65 on most runs and only half the carriage stock was used for most of the year except during a few airline strikes.

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