RE: Mixing SS & Brass
Bryan, I would say that on the whole, SS is going to be better virtually all the time. It is less affected by atmospheric conditions. Brass is much more affected.
Again, I will state that many people have no problem with brass.
Also, speaking of exceptions, Art is the only guy I know that has had terrific problems with SS. He got some kind of black gunk that stuck to the rails. I have followed this very closely, and some people have found certain conditions that did this. One guy was spraying his house for mildew and got it on the track and it made black gunk on the rails. Researching SS, certain chlorine compounds can do this. Not saying this was Art's problem, but it's a possibility that there is something in the air where he lives or something got on the rails.
For track power, I prefer SS.
Regards, Greg