What is Reddit's opinion of Engine Driver Throttle?

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What do you mean by, a "tablet touch control thing?" If you mean a regular tablet like an iPad or something, you'll still need some sort of turnout decoder like the one I mentioned, or you could also put a decoder in each individual turnout instead. They make decoders specifically for Kato turnouts but personally I think having one device that switches up to 6 turnouts is simpler. But it's all up to personal preference.

I didn't even realize that that DCS 52 you have already has a USB port, so you'd just have to connect it to a computer running JMRI with WiThrottle. Then you'd download either the WiThrottle app for Apple devices or EngineDriver for Android devices. With either of those apps you can control all of your locos/consists and turnouts.

Having used both NCE and Digitrax I firmly believe that NCE is the better home system. However, Digitrax is superior if you want to get into JMRI and automation. You are correct that there are a few things that NCE can't do with JMRI, notably it can't read back the state of turnouts. Personally if I was looking to automate that would be a dealbreaker.

Judging by your links I'm guessing you don't have a DCC system as yet. FWIW the 5A Power Pro set is complete overkill, you'll never need that much juice on a modest home layout. The 2A PowerCab system would be more than enough and is less than half the price.

Regardless, Digitrax is the way to go for automation as stated. Unfortunately they don't have a full-featured 2A starter set like NCE, so you'd be starting with the 'EVO Evolution Advanced' set. This includes the 5A DCS210 base station and a DT500 throttle. This is a new set, which replaces the old 'Super Chief' starter set. The Super Chief comes with a DCS100 base station and a DT402 throttle. It's 5A just like the DCS210 + DT500 EVO Evolution Advanced set, and has 99.9% the same functionality, but without the newer internal bits. Seeing as the Super Chief set has been superseded you'll probably be able to get it cheaper from stores that still have them in stock.

To use JMRI with Digitrax you need a PR3 interface. There are two versions of this, the normal one and the 'PR3 XTRA'. The XTRA version comes with a power supply, that's the only difference. The power supply is only required if you want to hook up a standalone programming track direct to the PR3 while not connected to your layout in any way. If you're happy to just program on your layout then you will never need the power supply, and can safely buy the normal PR3 rather than the PR3 XTRA and save some money.

To run JMRI you can use just about anything. Seriously. I'm running it on an old laptop that I bought off ebay for $20, and that was 5-6 years ago. The only requirements are Java (the 'J' in JMRI) and a USB port.

You may not be aware of this but JMRI also provides easy access to a very cheap wireless throttle solution. It can start a server on the computer that your mobile phone or tablet can connect to using a related app like Engine Driver. All you need for this is for the computer running JMRI to be connected to a wireless router, which your mobile devices can also connect to. If you already have a home wireless network than you can easily just use that.

To get you going...

Check out https://dccwiki.com/WiFi_Throttle

You may really want to check into JMRI: http://jmri.org/ This software gives you a lot of options for automation as well as connectivity.

For Android phones: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jmri.enginedriver&hl=en_CA

For Apple products: http://www.withrottle.com/html/home.html

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As mentioned by others, DCC is a nice way to go as all the interfacing is at the controller. This way the DCC tech you use directly on the layout is stable and doesn't change. But what you use to interface with the controller can change as often as you feel like trying something new.

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There are many cheap DCC starter systems out there, many of which have severe limitations. Lack of programming ability, restrictive loco capacity, non-handheld, etc.. One unit that is cheap AND is full-featured is the NCE PowerCab. It's only a 2A system, but for N scale that is plenty. The highest draw I ever saw on mine was 0.5A, and that was doing a 9 loco powermove.

Another option is to skip the conventional command station setup entirely and go for something like a SPROG 3. This acts as an interface between your layout and your computer, on which you run a program called JMRI (which is free). This method is a bit different and has both pros and cons-

PROS

• Computer interfacing right out of the box, which allows for things like programming in a GUI instead of having to remember the Configuration Values for everything. A conventional DCC command station cannot interface with a computer unless you purchase the relevant adaptor ($60+).
• JMRI can be run on just about anything. My installation is on a laptop so old it has Windows XP vendor stickers on it.
• If the computer running JMRI is connected to your home network you have a free wireless control system via your mobile device/s of choice + an app such as Engine Driver. To have wireless with a conventional DCC command station means looking well beyond the starter systems at greatly increased cost. Consider that your throttles need to be wireless compatible as well, which means extra $$$.
   

CONS

• You are giving up the physical throttle. Driving a train from your phone is nice, but personally I prefer the tactile feel of knobs and buttons. To my knowledge, no dedicated universal throttle exists that can interface directly with JMRI.
• Using a computer interface requires a mild familiarity with computers to set up and troubleshoot any issues.