This is an excellent thread but maybe it should be retitled "Beyond Minories" given the variety of prototypes presented. Nice to see clecklewyke's reference to his Digital Crispin as I remember reading about it in MRJ and thinking it was an idea that deserved more attention.
A slight reshuffle of the pointwork would give you a loco release and avoid the need for a pilot, which seems a little unlikely to me at so small a station. With no little trepidation, I present it as a signalling plan, but working it out in XtrkCad shows you should be able to run round four 57' carriages in the nearer platform. At busy times, the turnover engine method can be used, providing you can fit two engines and a train inside the starters, with the released engine running out onto the Up main to wait beyond the disc. If you can afford a little main line in view as per your original plan, it should be at least partly visible (perhaps an engine for the rear platform could be hand signalled to stand in front of the box for better posing? Depends on clearances between the two crossovers).
I've imagined that goods trains enter the goods loop at Neverland Junction and run round using the Up main, with the train standing between the yellow discs.