I remember reading an article in a very old (probably '50s) model railroad magazine, in which the author (Mel Thornburg?) advocated making your own paint.  If I remember correctly, he was using artist's oil pigments in Japan, boiled linseed oil, and lacquer thinner.  He also said that he did all his painting with a brush (part of the reason I think it was Thornburg, since I know he did that), and the results were excellent.

In the interest of having accepted practices in one place, I ask the following questions.  Naturally, there are many ways to do the same job.  In your experience, what are your recommendations for the following?

ALCOHOL:

Use denatured alcohol to clean castings before painting/gluing/etc. This makes sense. 
Use iso-alcohol to mix with glue to set scenery.

What would happen if you use denatured alcohol with glue? Does it really matter and why? IOW, what's the difference when it comes to our use in scenery?

Joe, I read your comment on Lance's one turnout industry idea. You can have your cake and eat it, too! Even on TT&TO you can have a local or turn that makes pickups/drops as it "work from C to F". Sure it has to watch out for scheduled trains. What comes to mind with a shout is just a few blocks from your house that I have passed on Amtrak...that little operation looks like a Feed and Seed or grain warehouse. Is that not on the main line from Eugene to Portland? Regards, John Colley, Sonoma, CA (ex Port Townsend, WA)

This video is really riveting. There is action every frame, during one scene I was able to count 4 locomotives moving in the picture.