Hi Everyone, I hope to find you guys healthy and safe in these crazy times ! In spite of all, my plan to turn a good portion of my rather large backyard ( "large" at least for South Florida standards...) is proceeding forward . I am now educating myself by gathering as much info as possible on how to prepare the ground, choose the right type of track and lay it down. After some thinking I decided to go with the brass type . I am finding tons of available tracks on ebay , mostly from Aristocraft. I am considering , though, to buy flexyble tracks and , of course, a rail bender ( a costly but necessary investment !). What do you guys think of Mineline rather than Aristocraft ? Any tangible difference other than the price ? Also, is it better to use joiners or clamps ? What about soldering and using jumpers for electrical connectivity ? What kind of soldering gun should I buy ( I have none ) . Last question for y'all : which ones are the best brands to consider for switches/turnouts ? So many questions ! Thanks in advance for your help