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Welcome to the hobby! Your best idea for getting answers (apart from posting here) would be to find yourself a Local Hobby Store (LHS). They'll be able to advise on the things you mention. In general, modern locos and cars will all run on the same track - there are standards set by the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) that govern the vital stuff like flange depths, tread widths, etc. If you don't have a LHS, these are some brands to look out for as a beginner - I'm listing cheap but good models, there are many more out there. Athearn's range of "Blue Box" loco and car kits are still good value - it says kit on the box, though they're very quick and easy to assemble. Also worth a look are Walthers Trainline range of locos and also the rest of the Walthers range of cars - reasonably priced, decent quality - they'll not look out of place as your layout progresses. Lifelike's Proto 1000 and 2000 ranges are also worth a look for smooth, reasonably priced locos. I would also advocate looking at Bachmann's latest locos and cars - their GP40/GP50 locos have a decent chassis (only thing missing is the flywheels, so they're not quite as smooth) and reasonable detailing, and are also very cheap! Another thing to consider: I would suggest fitting Kadee couplers from the outset. Their website at www.kadee.com has advice on fitting the couplers to pretty much any loco or car under "Conversions". Kadees, when used with either fixed or electromagnets for uncoupling, make operating a hands-off experience and far more fun. Hope this helps!
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