Operating along the Gippsland line daily except Sundays, the train was air-conditioned and had buffet car facilities provided.
The service was drastically improved on 17 November 1952 with a new, faster roster utilising a B Class locomotive hauling a mix of wooden-bodied, airconditioned first- and second-class carriages and a buffet car, and additional carriages provided as required by patronage offering.
[3] On the return trip, departure from Bairnsdale was at 2:35pm, stopping all except Montgomery and Loy Yang to Traralgon, then express to Warragul and Caulfield, the latter to set down passengers only, terminating at Flinders Street.
The train was permitted to convey passenger luggage to Warragul, Moe, Morwell and Traralgon, but regular parcels to these locations were required to travel via other services; the same applied on the return trip.
Given the reversal of the train and quick turnaround necessary at Sale, a special instruction was issued allowing operation without a brakevan at the rear of the train between Traralgon - Sale - Bairnsdale, conditional on the trailing vehicle having a handbrake in good condition and a Conductor riding in the rear carriage, acting as the Guard and performing assorted safe-working duties.
Stops were the same as far as Traralgon, then Rosedale, Sale, Stratford, Fernbank, Lindenow and Bairnsdale every day, with no extra conditions.
At this time the consist specified was reduced to BCE-BZ-Buffet-AZ-CE (Mondays to Thursdays; 260 tons / 56 1st plus 110 2nd class seats) and BCE-ABE-BZ-Buffet-AZ-CE (Friday to Saturday; 306 tons / 82 1st plus 146 2nd class seats), with the BCE detached from the rear at Traralgon, and reattached on the return trip.
[6] A substitute consist was noted on Tuesday 27 July 1982, with the Down trip being L1161-VBPY11-1BCE-12AS-1BG-16BE; also on that day the locomotive failed shortly after passing Morwell and the train was rescued by T401 running from Traralgon, where it otherwise would have replaced the L Class.
[12] In 1986 two of the rostered sets (ACZ-BRS-BS-BS) allocated for Gippslander and Geelong services were increased from four to five cars by adding an additional BS carriage to each.
[13] This resulted in the split of Rosters 21-22 from 23-24; set 21 now ran South Geelong-Bairnsdale-Melbourne-Bairnsdale weekdays, Warrnambool-Melbourne Saturdays and Melbourne-Bairnsdale-Melbourne-Bairnsdale Sundays, and set 22 Bairnsdale-Geelong-Geelong Monday to Wednesday, Bairnsdale-Geelong Thursday, Bairnsdale-Warrnambool Friday, Melbourne-Bairnsdale Saturday and Melbourne-Dimboola-Melbourne then empty to Geelong on Sundays.
[14] New timetables introduced in October 1986 and February 1987 saw the issue of roster CW2, with the Bairnsdale trips shifted to runs 25 and 26 with sets ACZ-BRS-BZ-BZ in response to changing demand, no new carriage deliveries planned, and suburban trains extending from Pakenham to Warragul reducing demand on LaTrobe Valley services (including the Gippslander).
[17] In 1989 the Avon River bridge near Stratford was reinforced, and a trial run of the Gippslander hauled by locomotive A77 to Bairnsdale was performed on 25 August 1989.
[3] The Gippslander name continued in use for V/Line intercity services along the line but no special facilities were provided beyond the standard buffet module.