Sequential Ops and an idea for the Bloomberg Turn

 Hello,

I thought that I was finished posting about my first Sequential Ops experiment but I just had an idea about it in the middle of the night (some of my best thinking occurs when I briefly wake up at 2AM!) that I think will add more interest and operations possibilities!

In my last post I mentioned that the Bloomberg Turn does not affect my new staging yard since it simply leaves West Mill and rolls into a hidden staging track on the West Mill side of the layout, (supposedly switching industries in Bloomberg).

Here is the hidden staging area the Bloomberg Turn enters.

You'll notice a turnout just in front of the tunnel.  My original plan was that one hidden track would represent Bloomberg while the other was for Mayfield.   I imagined that the two routes divided somewhere beyond the tunnel, with the PC track heading up the Catskills to Bloomberg while the KP&W track led to its Mayfield Yard.  

In past PCCMs I've shown both PC and KP&W trains taking the branchline into that tunnel.  Now that I dispatch Mayfield Yard trains from my new staging yard both tracks in this hidden staging will become Penn Central right of way.

My middle of the night idea was this:  What if I dispatched a Bloomberg Turn from West Mill into one of the hidden staging tracks and later brought out a similar train staged on other track that represents the Turn...returning!?

In the wee hours of the morning I went through a thought process that initially almost shelved the whole idea because I imagined I'd need to purchase two identical locomotives and cabooses to create identical outgoing and incoming Bloomberg Turns.  That would be a big expense for a train that really only runs about 20 feet and does no actual switching!

Next, before drifting off again, it occurred to me that I only needed to purchase one locomotive and one caboose if (big IF!) I could match them with some of my existing equipment.  

After waking up in the light of day and thinking more clearly I had an inspiration to check my current roster.   I realized that a pair of my GP38-2s and N8 cabooses might work to create the illusion of an out and back train.

Sure, the numbers are different but it won't be noticeable as the time between the Turn's departure from West Mill and its return to the yard later may be over an hour, or even occur during the next session.    Besides, the Sequential Ops are my own private running so the only person who might even think about the number discrepancy would be me.

Here's how it would work:   I'd arrange sometime in my sequence of trains to dispatch the Bloomberg Turn (WmB-1).  It would be seen heading into hidden staging with appropriate cars for various Bloomberg industries like Van Winkle Canning, Woodstock Hills Natural Soda, the Bloomberg Agway, etc.

Sometime later in my sequence of trains I'd call out the other Bloomberg Turn in hidden staging to represent BWm-2 returning to West Mill with cars picked up at Bloomberg industries.

The cool thing about this approach, of course, is that I won't need to do any manual 0-5-0 switcher moves of cars or repositioning of locomotives or cabooses to convey the idea that the Turn has come back!

Here is a video illustrating the idea:

As noted at the end of the video, the cars brought back to West Mill can be added to various trains to support more Sequential Ops!   Now instead of merely sitting in staging, the Bloomberg Turn can support more car forwarding!