Originally the service was operated with six Northerner cars (originally single lavatory first class cars, later designated South Island Main Trunk first class cars, refurbished for the original "Southerner" Expresses of 1970), the "Bay" Express servery/observation/rear-view car, and what was once both "The Connoisseur" car and "TranzAlpine" rear-view/observation car and the two "Northerner" modular handbrake end-mounted 11 kW generator FM -class power-luggage vans, painted in the dark blue InterCity logo with a 220 mm white stripe sandwiching a 100 mm red band, minus the parcels traffic.