LNE Fan,
trying to address your original questions.....
all but one 2 rail O scaler I know that is running DCC is using NCE. The other fella is using the Digitrax from his HO days. The NCE 408 non sound decoder seems pretty popular since they handle 4 amps and are easy to set up since they are from the same company that makes the system. There are so many decoder options for sound that is would take 20 threads to cover all of them. I can share my experiences if you want to hear them, There are a couple high end turnout companies (about $100 each) that I understand are great. Atlas can be found at a discount or on the second market for a good bit less. They have pros and cons but an awful lot of guys use them. There is also a number 6 Roco that pops up that are very reasonable but the tie size and spacing is off and it is code 156 not 148 if that matters to you. Building turnouts is a learning curve but really liberating once you get there. You are only dealing with a couple dollars of rail and ties so if you you make a wrong cut it isn't yhe end of the world. As for buring up things in DCC, connecting any of the output leads to a power rail will destroy the decoder in a mini second. But once they are in, I have had no problems except with some early version MRC 5 amp sound decoders. All three lost driev power after a few years. There must have been a time where decoders could be damaged with "derailments" because I have heard it so many times but I have been in DCC with 30 engines since 2013 and they are darn near prefect. I have had 100s of derailments (usually operator errors) and a coupke rare occations where a siderod will lock up but it has never hurt a decoder. I even got one wet one time but dried it off and it still works. There is a circuit breaker board that you can install between the nce and track. It is very sensative so it protects the decoder. Also the decoders I have experimented with have internal protection against pulling too many amps thru them and will simply cut out. But you shouldn't be installing a decoder that isnt sufficient for the engine.
