Rockette, ALL FORUMS tend to be cliquish to some degree or another. I joined here some 12 ears ago, along with Large Scale Central. I came here from the now defunct Large Scale On Line, one of the first forums, which was not different. For a fair time this forum tended to be heavily leaning toward the live steam folks. Recently it has spread back out to include more sparky topics.
LSC is and has always been sparky oriented. However it has always had the various segments of power - Battery with R/C, DCC, Analog DC and all the discussions of which control system is better. Which one is better is the one that works for you an your railroad. The discussions over the advantages and disadvantages of each have gone on since I joined both of these forums.
My advise parallels Trainman's above. READ a lot! As you learn about the expansion possibilities of your railroad you will solidify what things you want and what things you don't. Keep an eye on technology, the hobby will follow the technology. There will always be the folks who lead the pack living on the bleeding edge of the technology. There will be those who lag back with the 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it'.
Even though you are not a 'newbie', your experience seems to be 'around the xmas tree'. It would not be a bad investment to pick up a copy of 'Garden Railway Basics' by Kevin Strong. He covers many of the debated topics with a mostly non biased opinion.
Ask questions, they will be answered. Sometimes not the way you would like to hear, but they will be answered. Both forums have a plethora of folks with many years experience and in diverse areas. If you are interested in creative scratch/bash building, head on over to LSC and follow along with the annual 'Build Challenge'. A great way to move through the after holiday doldrums.