While Amtrak is no saint, much of the problem with on-time passenger trains centers on the freight railroads, who treat Amtrak like an unwanted stepchild.  My wife and I took the train to Savannah and back from DC a few years ago.  We were over four hours late getting in, mostly thanks to CSX sticking us in the hole.  That was bad enough, but the return was even worse.  The train originated in Florida, and when I check with the clerk in Savannah about arrival time (which was supposed to be around 9 p.m.) he said to check back around midnight (!!!).  Well, the train arrived at 3:30 a.m.  It was due into DC at noon, but didn't arrive there until after 7.  Again, most of the delays were the fault of CSX (and partly NS on the return) just not moving the train along.  I think Amtrak asseses fines for delaying their trains, but it appears the freight roads in general would rather pay the fine and not worry about passenger trains.

You can get blank decal paper from Walthers or Micro-Mark.  The real problem today is a lack of equipment to do decal printing well at home.  They don't make the old Alps printers anymore, which was about the only way to do decent white or yellow letters.  None of your generally available ink-jets or laser printers will print white.  White is always assumed to be the paper background color.  Yellow is tough becuase the inks are so thin that they often don't print well enough to cover on a model.  Typically, decals are printed with permanent inks specially formulated to remain opaque.  An option some folks use is to take dry transfers (if you can find a suitable font) and put them on blank decal paper, overspray, then letter.  This done becuase it is way easier to line and space the dry transfers on an even, flat surface rather than try and do it directly on the model.

The MMI loco will follow the Baldwin 8-18C catalog engine, which was a very common engine.  I believe the Eureka is one of this class.  They were available with 42 or 45 inch drivers.  I believe the Rio Grande Class 38's had the smaller drivers.  I agree that Bachmann should not duplicate this engine.  I would also say that despite its "small" size, it is still a fairly large loco by current On30 standards.  If Bachmann wants a 4-4-0 that fits in better to its line, I would suggest the Mt. Gretna 2-foot gauge locos.  They would widen out to On30 very nicely, and plans are available in the MR Cyclopedia. 

I just saw that Tweetsie has gotten a agreement to allow them to operate at least through 2010.  Beyond that things are still up in the air. 

Re:  Live Steam.  That is not something to take on lightly.  Even at low (say 20-25 lb. pressure) you still have a rolling explosive device.  Boilers must be built to withstand at least 50% more than the anticipated operating pressure.  All seams have to be sealed either by welding or silver soldering.  Regular solder will melt at operating temperatures.  On30 is probably too small to do live steam well (though the OO model from Britain shows it can be done with a lot of engineering).  For live steam, I'd stick to Large scale models or bigger.

While you can use any HO track for On30, the tie size and spacing is not correct for O scale narrow gauge.  In addition to PSC, I believe Micro Engineering makes On30 flex.  I think they also just announced the availability of matching ready-to-lay turnouts as well.

I might amplify the answer a bit.  Traditionally, On3 has been a minority "craftsman" scale, modeling 3 foot gauge prototypes (D&RGW, SP, EBT, WP&Y, etc.).  Most of the locomotives available in recent years have been pricey brass imports (like $1,500 and up).  Rolling stock is either import brass or craftsman kits. 

On30 got started as "fringe" by some modelers not able or willing to put out the big bucks for On3, and began adapting HO mechanisms and wheelsets with 1/4" scale bodies.  In general, much of this was essentially freelance.  Bachmann got into the game via the Department 56 Christmas village crowd, who wanted a train that better matched their wares than HO.  The result with the original Mogul passenger set.  Bachmann was smart enough to choose an actual prototype loco (a small Cooke DSP&P engine) and bring it in with a decent mechanism and adequate detail to appeal to many "scale" modelers.  Bachmann has built on this with freight rolling stock and additional loco models.  For the most part the freight stock follows small 3 foot prototypes.  The Shay and Climax were multi-gauge prototypes, and there were a number of 30" gauge logging lines around the country.  The Climax can be regauged to On3 in about 20 minutes.  The 2-8-0 follows a Baldwin 30" gauge prototype used in Mexico.  The Forneys are very close to 2-foot gauge Sandy River engines.  I might point out that the list of "commercial" (as opposed to dedicated industrial,  mining or logging lines) 30 inch gauge railroads in the U.S. can probably be counted on one hand.  On30 is essentially a low-cost compromise to getting into O scale narrow gauge modeling.  If you like it, do it! 

Yes, those are guard rails to help keep the cars on the track on tight logging curves.  That photo looks like WVP&P territory out near Cass.

I see from Railway Preservation's site that the book, "Little, Old and Slow" has been republished by the Railway Museum of Pennsylvania.  This is a history of the Lancaster, Oxford and Southern RR, an early narrow gauge in southeastern Pennsylvania.  There are still a few traces of the road to be found, long after its 1919 abandonment.  This includes the gas-mechanical car that the Strasburg RR occasionally operates for charters.  The car was built by the LO&S to narrow gauge, then went the Grasse Valley RR in New York where it was standard-gauged. 

Let me go a little further on "catalog designs".  Most steam builders issued catalogs showing sample locomotive designs, from tiny 0-4-0Ts up to big road power.  Within these samples, a buyer could desigante what features he would like--slide valves or piston; superheated, or not; valve gear choice, and so on.  So, a 2-4-4T Forney would be a Baldwin "catalog" engine, but the actual prototype became a Sandy River 8 or 9.  The NMRA publishes a copy of a Porter catalog which illustrates how this works (and also gives you some other ideas for small loco designs).  Note that major railroads, that would order maybe dozens of on loco model, usually provided the builder with the specs for their locos, though even then they may well have used an existing design as a basis (see, USRA).

The Forney represents a loco with Stephenson valve gear, the most common type of gear for mid-to-late 19th Century steam locos.  The eccentric cranks are mounted on a driver axle between the frames, so all that is visible is the rocker arm and valve rod.  The Consol has, I believe, Baker gear, which became popular after about 1910, along with Walschearts.  The issue wasn't so much the quality of the valve gear (Stehpenson was quite good) but with the large increase in loco sizes, access to the gear became a maintenance issue.  Walschearts probably was the most common gear post-1900.  Baker-Pilloid second, possibly because it was patented and use of it involved a royalty payment.  Southern was maybe a distant third, followed by Young, Joy, and other odds and ends.  Poppet valves (like in your car engine) were used late in the steam era, but maintenance was a problem. 

Remember that the Bachmann On30 line is somewhat limited by it's purpose and marketing.  As a general rule, stuff has to be able to go around EZ Track 18" curves, which is going to limit the size of locos.  In addition, they have and are choosing prototypes that are small by nature--early 3' stuff that was smaller than the later (post-1900) stuff so that the equipment looks to "belong" together.  Put an EBT On3 hopper next to most of the Bachmann stuff and you'll see what I mean.  I for one would like to see something like the Lawndale 2-8-0--quite a small loco for 3' gauge, but certainly usable as an On30 piece and more domestic in appearance than the current outside frame model.  Still waiting for the Heisler, of course, to round out the logging set.  Another possibility would be the New Berlin and Winfield 2-6-0, once made (badly) in brass in both HO and O (and which I think has been preserved).  Also like to see a nice 4-4-0, maybe a nice Pittsburg loco like Maryland Central No. 5. 

Well, you would hinge the layout underneath, so that the undersides fold back against themselves.  This does still present the problem of leaving the "finished" portions exposed to damage during moves.  Another reason bolted sections are probably a better solution.

You can consider using what is called a "piano hinge".  This is a long (3 feet or more hinge) that provides more stability than a couple of regular door hinges.  Consider, though, how heavy the layout will be in one piece if you need to move it.  It might be easier on your back to do it in sections. 

Way back when, the nickname for locomotives among some railroaders was "hogs".  The head guy in the cab, the engineer, thus became known as the "hog head" or "hogger".  (Firemen were called "tallowpots", but I digress)  It's true that the engine crews in the 19th century sported a variety of headgear.  The derby is VERY apparent in photos of western railroads in the post-Civil War era.  The more familiar soft, billed cap seems to have become the "standard" in the early 20th century, along with the "hickory stripe" overalls that usually matched the hats.  Hats and scarves were pretty much standard wear during the steam era, to try and keep the cinders and soot from out of the hair and down the shirt. 

I think you will find that there were a number of n.g. 2-6-2's out there.  There is one still in existence at the Pine Creek RR in New Jersey, ex-Surrey, Sussex and Southampton RR.  It was running a few years back, but I think it is currently in the shop.