Technology is carrying the hobby into new areas and here is a group at the center of one new technology. Many of the folks in this group are in the San Diego, CA, area.
The Dead Rail Society is a group of model railroaders who run their trains without track power. While this has been done for several decades in large scale, Dead Rail Society members have been doing this in On30 and Hon3 for the last couple of years.
This is simply the use of on-board batteries and the remote control of a decoder, similar to the operation of a remote control car or plane. You never need to worry about dirty track or track wiring.
The group welcomes anyone as long as they intend to learn about running trains without track power.