The "Silver Star" carriages were distinctive in New Zealand. Rather than being painted in the traditional red, carriages were made of unpainted stainless steel. Original planning for the train envisaged the sleeping cars as the basis of new-standard NZR passenger stock with future passenger trains of six carriages and van, seven stainless steel units of 30 tons each (210 tons) hauled by a DA class locomotive. However, planning for this replacement for the limited express became more ambitious in the early 1960s, moving away from 25-ton, 55-foot stainless steel cars of the type used on the Queensland Rail "Sunlander" to sleeping cars with a 9 ft 9 in loading gauge. As a result, the usual "Silver Star" consisted of 35-ton cars would weigh 410 tons and contribute to NZR's requirement for DX class locomotive to haul them as well as express freight trains on the NIMT.