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Others will answer this thread, but I have a suggestion. The two most important aspects of having a model Railroad is space available and scale. If the space you have available is limited, you might want to give N scale a look over - you can get a heck of a lot more in, in a smaller space. Because you are 17 and slowly getting to that important moment when you leave home for good, a smaller layout will be a good thing - something that is portable, you can complete in a reasonable amount of time, and will be an invaluable teaching tool as you continue on into the hobby in your adult years. Most newbies want continuous running, but if you are willing to sacrifice that, you could have a very interesting switching layout in your bedroom that is "L" shaped and goes down two walls. If you want HO but realize N scale would be better for your space, go into very contemporary N scale equipment, such as todays large engines and rolling stock found on rail roads out there you can see, such as BNSF (today's version of BN); check out the SD90's in N at your local hobby shop. I showed a guy an N scale centre beam car (carries wood products) from a contemporary road (BC Rail) and compared its length to an HO 40 foot freight car - the lengths were almost identical. Contemporary N scale equipment is larger than N scale equipment from an earlier era. The hobby is expensive, but remember there are birthday's and Christmas, so ask for what you need on those occasions from your parents and relatives. For your parents, get a copy of Model Railroader and look for some smaller layouts in the mag - show them it can be an interesting and lifetime hobby and that there is stuff out there for guys with not a lot of space. No one in the hobby, except for maybe Bill Gates, goes out and buys everything at once. So first you buy the wood for your layout, then some or all of the track and turnouts you need, then a power pack to run your engines, then an engine or two and some rolling stock; then maybe some scenery stuff, then some structures - this all spread out over time. Engines make a great present. Print this reply out and show it to your parents. To the parents: Model Railroading is a great hobby for a teen. Your son will learn about economics, geography, politics, engineering (of structures and terrain), and transportation systems. He will learn about electricity, wood working, developing an artistic eye working with paints, chalks, and "washes." He will learn skills that will suit him in other aspects of his life other than model railroading. But more importantly, he will enter into a hobby that will reduce a lot of external stress in his lifetime. Model railroading is really owning your own private Disney Land with trains as its theme park.
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