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I'll throw in my experience because I can understand where Plane Crazy is coming from. I'm also 43, and getting back into the hobby for the first time since my teens. Two things that I have done have kept me from going crazy. First I'm using Kato Unitrack, in "N" scale. I've had great experience with it. I can put together a quick test layout and be running trains in 15 minutes or less. To date after about 4 months I've never had a train de-rail or not run, Unitrack is about foolproof, and there are great ideas on the boards and individual websites on how to make it look more realistic. 2nd while designing, and redesigning my layout, I built a quick test layout on an old door, and put it on sawhorses so I can test engines and just fullfill that need to run trains. I read the starter layout article in MR and said damn, if it takes $500 to build a starter layout then this hobby got too expensive for me. So I started looking in the paper, on Ebay, and put up Train wanted adds in the local grocery stores. I saved a ton of money by buying from someone who was either quiting, changing scales, or moving to DCC. It's a great time to buy non DCC equipment. My first buy was about $800 worth of Track, Atlas Engines, rolling stock, some buildings, and a power supply for $125.00 All in excellent shape. I've purchased 2 more MRC power supplies off of Ebay and never paid more than $15 for them. I've also fell into some box lots of Track on Ebay. After the thrill of spreading the word about your interest, the #1 job of a Magazine and a hobby shop is to make a profit. You do that buy selling the latest and greatest, and making it seem like if you have last months equipment your at an extreme disadvantage. Thats capitalism and life. But guess what my $15 MRC Tech 3 power supply works as great as when it was state of the art 2-3 years ago. Right now I don't need a $70 Tech 4 or $150 starter DCC package. My bargain Atlas engines can be upgraded to DCC at a later date. My biggest complaint to date is incompatible couplers in "N" scale. Finally, I may have given up if not for the wealth of information available on this and other similar boards. Hang in there, and play with your trains, as you build your layout. Dave
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