Old skool, in part because it's readily available for low dough.
Old school DC blocks with New school PECO code 55 Uni-Frog and Micro-Trains knuckle trucks.
Old school Lone Wolf is only coordinated enough to run two trains at a time. Extra expense makes no sense for me.
TF
The old, recentlty dismantled layout was mostly "new school" DCC but still used Code 100 with Atlas switch machines, hard wired control panels. Most engines sound equipped with upgraded freight and passenger equipment - but still quite a few "blue box" freight cars and Riverrossi passenger cars, all equipped with Kadees and metal wheelsets. The new layout (yet to be constructed in the new house) will be 100% "new school" from a technical standpoint (Peco 83 and 70 track, loco sound, DCC with computer interface for turnout control etc.).
However, from a different perspective - the focus of the new layout will be "old school" in some way - with an emphesis on craftsman and scratch built structures.
John-NYBW DC on code 100 (HO) track.
Russell
Ok.
A. Switched to Atlas Code 83 years back. Switch turnouts Atlas and Peco.
B. Locos and cars equipped with traditional Kadees. Gradually switching over to KD "Whisker" type.
C. New locomotive purchases: Unless equipped, preference is for DCC ready so that I can install either LokSound or TCS sound setups. For non-sound units: TCS decoders. Currently have a fleet of "Old School" P2K E-units that are being gradually upgraded to DCC Sound.
D. DCC - preference for NCE control.
E. Freight Rolling stock: Large number of "old school" 70's production Athearn BB units being updated & detailed. Also have 90's-early 2000's production Bowser and P2K cars. All traditional type (#5) KD coupler equipped.
F. Passenger fleet: Batch of 80's production Rivarossi's. Large batch of 90's-early 2000's production Walthers light weights. Five Rapido lightweights. All knuckle coupler equipped. Gradually being switched to "Whiskers".
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
The layout in my previous home which I moved out of 20 years ago was DC on code 100 (HO) track. That's old school.
My current layout is DCC with code 83 track and about 2/3 of my locos have sound. That's new school.
This isn't intended to be a scientific poll but I'm curious as to who is still doing things the old school way and who is new school. DCC is available in all scales of course. I'm less knowledgeable about track codes in other scales but I'm guessing there are choices there as well.
Another old school/new school choice is couplers. In HO, I think most people are now using some sort of knuckle couplers but is there anybody out there still using the old hornhooks. Back in the 1980s, that was the standard coupler almost all equipment came with and KDs were what you converted to if you wanted knuckle couplers. I think it was sometime in the 1990s that other brands of knuckle couplers became available and new equipment came with both types of couplers. Are the different coupler choices in N scale as well?
So what are the choices you have made for your layout?