Let me try these in order:
FS - You're probably right in that the Console Automation in CW/Sonar is very poorly designed. However, I got over my frustration once I found envelopes. After that I never found a need to use Console Automation again. It seemed counter-intuitive to me anyway to be moving fake pictures of a fader using a mouse. IMHO, faders were designed for your hands, while vector automation seems more suited for a mouse and computer.
BM - AFAIK the automation track is where your console automation data is saved. But it's been a year-and-a-half since I've used PA9, and even longer than that since I've looked at an automation track. However, if you have automation that is doing what you want it to do, I would not delete that track. My advice to delete it was for those who find automation occuring NOT when they want it to. If you want to experiment, save the project under a new name and have at it.
chalin - if you have a method that works for you, then please continue to use it. That's why they make vanilla AND chocolate. I would still argue, however, that you really can't mix accurately in real time using the Console faders due to the latency inherent in most systems (this is less an issue with newer, more powerful systems though) and that envelopes give you more control and better accuracy, since you can place the nodes exactly where you want your changes to occur.
Tim - You can save the project under different names, or you can just clone the track (in Sonar use Track/Clone and select all the settings). Then you can Archive the cloned track and play around with the original. Sort of the same approach as resaving the file, but only on a track by track basis. You can also use this approach if you want to play around with effects, without losing the original settings you had. You just need to remember which track is which.
Mike