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Go DCC. I know there is an "up front" cost that looks daunting, but as an N Scale modeler, there has been a lot of "hidden" costs in going DC, then switching. First, The amount of time and money you spend wiring blocks to switch controls will surprise you. Second, DCC takes care of moving head to head on small layouts without having to perform complicated block control as you move as little as two trains. It gives you immediate control of the CAB, not the block. Third, low speed operation means EXTREMELY low voltage in DC. This means that the trains sputter and fight with the smallest track corrosion or dirt. with DCC the track power is at "FULL" the entire time, and the decoder realistically drives the motors. This benefit alone will save you hours of headache later. Finally, the cost of switching all of your locos to DCC later will be agravating. That bill will be huge, and yes, you will have purchased locos that will be next to impossible to convert because you were not looking for DCC friendly manufacturers, etc... Not to mention the redundant work you will have done to create blocks will not realistically match what you want if you start using the DCC signaling and block control. DCC decoders are availble as snap in board, or plug and play, for almost all popular new locomotives. If not, there are plenty of sources for pre-built locos, as well as components and frames. I agree, I don't know where people get the idea that DCC is only for "Big" layouts. My first little layout in N was beautiful with DCC. (Mind you, I started it in DC and cite the pain I incurred switching to DCC, here as this post.) You can literally build any small layout, avoid reverse loops, and just add power to the tracks from your DCC unit and run trains in any direction, at any speed, without issues. Afordability is subjective... but let's be honest here. If you plan on getting into the hobby, you are going to invest a lot of time and money to run miniatures like the real thing. DC is dead, DCC allows the best prototypical operation. The changes to DCC are staggering, soon it will be more economical to handle some of the most realistic operations imaginable with little to no effort or complicated wiring. Summary, GO DCC... DON'T LOOK BACK. Plan it into your new layout. Try to find somewhere in your area that is running DCC currently and ask them to let you see the difference! Good luck!
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