Designed as a "hotel on wheels", the service was unsuccessful and attempts to re-use the rolling stock were thwarted by the presence of asbestos in the carriages.
It was intended to improve the Railway's staff morale and image, and the concept was based on a shorter version of New South Wales Government Railways Southern Aurora, with its 75-foot, 20-berth sleeping carriages introduced in 1962, providing Pullman-style luxury equal to the last United States trains, the Broadway Limited, the San Francisco Chief, the Crescent and the Panama Limited.
That meant in 1970 a per-carriage cost of $100,000+ for Japanese or Australian stainless steel construction, with $60,000 to $70,000 for conventional Italian or Swedish-built first-class carriages.
In 1967 the new train was promoted by the Minister of Railways, J.B. Gordon, on the grounds that it would deliver a clear return on its purchase cost and operation.
NZR's requirement was for the DX class locomotives introduced in 1972 to haul the heavier carriages as well as express freight trains on the NIMT.
This required a large trackside work project on the NIMT and on the Silver Star's alternative route via the Stratford–Okahukura Line, to accommodate greater width carriages.
Due to the freeze on rail fares and charges imposed by the Kirk Labour Government, which effectively meant the price from Wellington to Auckland was held at $18 from late 1971 to early 1976, use of the train was high in 1974-75 and 1975-76.
In March 1979, the General Manager of NZR, Trevor Hayward, in his booklet Time for Change noted that the average subsidy per passenger on the Silver Star was $20.00, then a substantial amount of money.
Passengers could purchase dinner, breakfast and other refreshments during the night, including alcoholic beverages and souvenirs in the buffet car, of which three were built, with 42 alcove-style tables.
The Railways Department attempted to replace the Northerner and Silver Star with a refurbished version which would be a 50% seating and 50% sleeper train.
The union workforce refused to work with the dangerous material, and the carriages lay parked in sidings for over ten years while their future was debated.
In January 1990, the 31-car fleet was purchased by the British luxury travel company, Orient-Express Trains & Cruises (an off-shoot of Orient-Express Hotels) and taken to A & G Price, of Thames (New Zealand), for regauging from New Zealand's 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge for Thai and Malaysian railway lines.
Since then the refurbished consist has operated a regular 5-star luxury cruise-train service between Singapore (now the Woodlands customs terminal on the island's northern coast) and Bangkok as the Eastern & Oriental Express.