You want to ask a general a question? About what? Model trains? Real trains? Modern trains? Historic trains? Not trains? Seems to me you already found the right place to ask one general question. What makes your second general question so much trickier than this one?
If about modeling, just go to the forum of the scale your question concerns. If it has nothing to do with modeling or railroads, go to the Cattle Car, where any and all off topic questions can be asked.
Technical help is our "Support" Forum. Non-scale specific Model RR is the "Inspection Pit". Prototype: The Ready Track. no sub-forum selected.