Hello Mark,
I suppose the NMRA org site and Model Railroader magazine site might be good to start with. (
http://www.nmra.org/ and
http://www.trains.com/maghomepage/maghomepage.asp?idMagazine=3)
After that, you might want to try going to some of the online forums (such as this one, and
http://www.Atlasrr.com, http://www.railroad-line.com, and
http://www.railroad.net to name a few) and use the "search" feature to look up specific questions. Keywords like "design", "benchwork", "turnouts", "DCC", can provide you with a wealth of info, opinions, reviews, and advice.
Of course,
www.google.com is also a great resource. I use it a lot when folks talk about an engine I'm not familiar with and I want to see a picture of it.
Finally, visit some of the forums, and start reading through the topics. Whenever you find someone who has left a URL link to their own page, click off on a cyber side trip to it. Amazing whats in the ether.
Good luck!!