The NZR RM class Silver Fern was a class of rail motor in New Zealand. The three air-conditioned and sound-proofed 723-kW 96-seater diesel-electric twin-set railcars were built by Kawasaki under contract with Nissho Iwai of Japan. New Zealand Railways (NZR) classified the railcars as RM (Rail Motor), the same as other railcars, using the Silver Ferns (a national symbol of New Zealand) because of their exterior was made of corrugated stainless steel, like the premier night sleeper train that also ran on the Wellington-Auckland (North Island Main Trunk) route, the Silver Star. The Silver Ferns replaced the three successful Blue Streak railcars on the service. History The railcars are most well known for their service on the eponymous North Island Main Trunk daylight passenger train between Auckland and Wellington between 14 December 1972 and 8 December 1991. Intermediate stops were at Palmerston North, Marton, Taihape, Waiouru, Ohakune, National Park, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti, Hamilton and Papakura. Under trade by Nissho Iwai, the Silver Ferns were built by Kawasaki and Toshiba and introduced in 1972 to replace older but refurbished Blue Streak railcars on the route. The success of the Blue Streaks had ensured there was a business case for NZR to purchase the three Silver Fern railcars. The Blue Streaks were then reallocated to the Wellington-New Plymouth service until the cancellation of railcar services to New Plymouth in 1977. Following the withdrawal of the Silver Star in 1979, there was a proposal to rebuild that train's carriages as day-carriages and replace the Silver Fern on the Wellington-Auckland daytime service. The Silver Fern railcars would then be reallocated to the South Island to run the Picton-Christchurch service. Due to the rebuilding of the Silver Star's carriages not proceeding, this proposal never came to fruition. In December 1991, the Silver Fern was replaced by the locomotive hauled Overlander. The railcars were transferred to two newly introduced services: the Kaimai Express between Auckland and Tauranga and the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua. In 2000, a third service was added, the Waikato Connection between Auckland and Hamilton. All three services ceased on 7 October 2001. From 2002, two of the class were employed on Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) commuter services between Auckland and Pukekohe. The services were operated by Veolia Auckland as part of its contract with ARTA, with the units leased from Tranz Scenic, later KiwiRail. This lease expired in 2009 and