Birmingham and Leicester services to Clacton-on-sea 1950s

[BillH]

Hi,

 

I recently received a copy of the 1956 summer Colchester line carriage working instructions and have some questions on a couple of trains that ran from the Birmingham and Leicester to Clacton-on-sea in Essex and return each Saturday.

 

The first left Leicester at 8.15 am and was made up of BSK,SK, SK,SK,CK,SK,BSK and between the 14th July and 18th of Aug BSK,SK,SK,SK,CK,CK,SK,SK,SK,BSK. The notes indicate the coaches were coded BS which means British Standard gangway also that they were LMR stock.

 

The second left Birmingham at 8.50 am and was comprised of BSK,SK,SK,CK,CK,SK,SK,BSK they were also British Standard gangway and LMR stock.

 

My questions are as follows,

 

What coaches would have been used for these sorts of services, with a view to modeling would it be appropriate to use period III stock, Porthole stock and/or Mk 1s?

What liveries would the coaches likely be wearing in the 1954-1956 time frame, all blood and custard or a mix with earlier LMS livery? 

What locomotives would have hauled such trains and would they have changed loco from an LMR to an ER loco at some point in the trip?

If they did change loco what shed would the ER loco most likely have come from eg. March, Cambridge etc?

Does anyone know of any photos of these trains?

 

The model I am building is a fictitious station between Colchester and Clacton and I am hoping for a train from a different region to provide a bit of variation even if it is just the coaches.

 

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

Bill