well,,,yes

looks like a reverse loop. Conflicting polarity.
Look at Jim Banners diagrams.
The short green lines, put plastic insulated connectors instead of the metal
ones where the green lines are.
http://www.trainsetsonly.com/page/TSO/PROD/150-55

To power the now isolated of the track you need a power switch like this,

http://www.trainsetsonly.com/page/TSO/PROD/150-210
two sets of these perhaps to simplify things a bit
http://www.trainsetsonly.com/page/TSO/PROD/150-842

you will also need wire cutter/stripper/crimper tool, some electrical wire
and some of these [warning  $$$ really expensive]
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104013
you'll figure out what to do with these.


run two wires from power pack to the switch.

From the switch run a two pairs of wires to the track, one pair for the outer, one pair for the inner.
Play with the switch, it controls the polarity of the track, until the train runs the way you want it to.

yes, they are compatible.
Might look a bit funny with two different roadbed colors, but they will work
with eachother.

One simple way is to look for "USRA" in the name, that stands for
"United States Railroad Adiministration".
That is when the U.S. government nationalized the RRs during WWI.
These stayed in service for a long time, well wthin the steam transistion
era.

As models go,they are easy to find, a number of examples can be found here, just click on the pics and you should be able to figure things out from there.
http://www.accurail.com/accurail/index.htm

Bachmann makes some too, here is one
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=1626

Athearn
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=40'+Hopper+RTR&CatID=THRF

looks like a fun layout!
It has got a bit o'everything.
Turntable,Switching yard,sidings,shunting ops, point a to point b ops,
or even continous running!,,small town part, possibly rual parts, it has it all!

What does the part that is shaded green in lower right? what is the
significance of the shading?

And those green lines on the left?

Nevermind,,after looking at the photos,,,different elevations.

Another option would be the MRC Symphony77 for train sounds.

Just google it up or see the MRC site for details.

Nothing too fancy or complicated but it will give you sounds.

Track?

Bachmann EZ, Code 100, N/S or Steel
Widely available,easy to find, any self respecting LHS will have some on hand.
Great variety of parts  to choose from like cross overs, #6 turnouts, diamonds, ect.
EZ to find online.
Good stuff for people just starting out.


Atlas True Track, Code 83
Good ol snap track on a road bed! Can be removed from roadbed if you wish.  Not as many different pieces to choose from, only basic turnouts
available at this time.
But there is enough to build youself a decent basic layout.
Rare find in LHS, but is easy to find on online sites, and is less expensive
than EZ track.
Try Trainsetsonly.com for example.
http://www.trainsetsonly.com/page/TSO/CTGY/TrueTrack
Good stuff,looks good,performs well and I use it myself.
Can be used with other Atlas code83 parts,if you do not mind mixing in
cork roadbed with the plastic roadbed.
All Atlas track is Nickel Silver.

Kato,,Looks good and many in this forum seem to like it. Never used it myself, so no comments,,,hit or miss in LHS,,can be found online.

Life Like Power Lock,,Never used it. I'm sure it works, may be good for Very
Simple track plans. Most LHS in my area do not even bother to carry it,
but will order if you ask.

None of the above can be mixed together, they are not interchangeable .

But which track to use? Your call there.

Switch and turnouts, loosely speaking, yes they are the same thing.
in a nutshell:
Switch is what makes it work, turnout is what is does.

maybe you got one that was packed right around quiting time Friday or
first thing Monday morning!

Sounds like a packing error at the factory,,but a bonus for you!

Here may be found photos of that House of David train that I mentioned earlier. My grandfather is in two of the photos,,#4 second from right
and #5 on the right.
The last three photos are the ones I remember seeing and riding on.

http://www.houseofdavidmuseum.org/edensprings/trains.htm

These trains are going to make a comeback in the next year or two.

"If the women don't find you handsome, they should find you handy.
Remember that imagination costs nothing"  ---Red Green.

Well at this point experimenting won't hurt!

Solder Iron! where is it?

Got any paper clips? Diagonal cutters? Duct Tape?

Bent side rods?

Carefull work with Needle Nose Pliers. Trial and Error method.
OR
If you have a nearby LHS the guys there Might be able to help with that.

Clean those Tracks! They may have oil on them!
Cheap Cleaning method:
A scotchbrite sponge. $1, at a dollar store
A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol. $1,same as above
2 Old T-shirts.  $- I am sure you got some in your closet or dresser that you
have not worn in years.

First run the scotchbrite over the track, this will loosen things up.
Gentle but firm pressure should be enuff, you don't have to Godzilla it.
Don't worry,the scotchbrite is plastic,,it won't hurt the Metal rails at all.
Then wad up a t-shirt and wet it with the alcohol, rub down the tracks
untill clean.
Use the other T-shirt,dry,and dry the tracks, you should see a difference the next time you run a loco.

Sir, I no recall of that.
I remember that main line that ran through town was, and recall seeing most often was Chessie System C&O , late 1960s thru 1980.
and sometimes varoius others like GTW, once in a while The Rock,and
Penn Central/New York Central.

1st Train ride? Do amusement park trains count? The engines were scaled
down steam engines that even used real coal,,at the House Of David park
in Benton Harbor MI.
Then in due course the trains at Disneyland in Anaheim,and Knotts Berry Farm.

Subways Count?  Washington DC Metro and then the BART in San Francisco.

REAL Train ride,Electric,Last summer,,South Bend to Chicago Millenium station on
the South Shore Line then took the "EL" to Addsion Ave for a Cubs game. [Cubs won, beat the Marlins.]

2-8-4 Berkshires can handle them just fine, despite their size.
2-6-2 Prairies barely notice 18inch curves, cool little locos,,but they are not dcc. Inexpensive too if you shop around on the net.

The 2-8-0 would be a good choice too.

BLI blue line 2-8-2 Mikados too,,you can get these at a nice price too if
you shop/surf a bit on the net.

this site has a number of plans if you dig around enough,,not difficult to find.

here is a 2x12 from the site
http://www.thortrains.net/4holayg.html

main site,,Lots of plans,,
http://www.thortrains.net/index.html

some even have 3-D views like these
http://www.thortrains.net/marx/kdlayhoa.html

Wikipedia!   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_locomotive

If you want to look up a certain type,,say 2-8-2 mikado,
just type in 2-8-2 on the search area on the left of the screen.

I found something else,,it is a backdrop.
Sort of like a wall paper or poster that is.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/949-706