Alan,
I'm not trying to torpedo Keystoned Ed, but you might want to take a look at Andy Romano's Ironbound Railroad. Andy has been running RC Battery powerfor several years. No track wiring, no shorts, no dirty track problems. Andy has posted here on the forum several times and should be easily found searching for Ironbound. Another proponent is Bob Delbridge who posts here as Seabord Airline Fan. He has also been running RC Battery for several years. I think it is the wave of the future, and it is where I'm headed.
Simon
Here is one link: