TPBO

[steinjr]

You are making exactly the same observation as Lance Mindheim made in his book on designing small switching layouts. Industries that take a number of similar cars, and where you need space to shove a cut of cars down and track and pull the cars through a loader/unloader is less efficient use of space on a small layout than industries with a couple of sure spots.

Can't answer for you what you should do on your layout, though. Your call. But I think the idea of spotting hoppers at the team track instead is a good one.

Smile,
Stein