Thanks for posting the AFX photos; it brings back a lot of memories. I started with the Model Motoring A/C “Vibrator” set in 1961 before moving on to T-Jet and then AFX in 1969. The Vibrator cars had a controller that looked similar to the controllers in your photos; the A/C wreaked havoc with TV reception whenever I ran the cars.
It seems we cannot post photos in replies, so I added a separate post with photos of a Tyco track I built in the Eighties.