# New to Hobby, need purchasing advice



## Tralis (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm completely new to the hobby - I haven't purchased anything. I'm looking to get started. I understand I have a choice of scale and power system. I am undecided on scale. I know HO is the most common and probably has the best availability so I think I might go with that, although smaller scales might be nice on space. As for power, DCC sounds like a lot more fun to me, how much of a premium will I have to pay for it?
What is the best way to get started? I saw the Bachman Digital Commander on Amazon and it looked like a good option. However, I know from other hobbies that starter kits can be deceiving in that some can be of low quality and/or have components that are completely incompatible with future purchases. Is that kit something I should steer clear of or is it a good choice to get a working DCC set that I could later upgrade?

Finally, a few questions about DCC. Are turnouts handled from the control center or by hand? How much more expensive is it than plain DC? I hear it makes track routing easier. I would think a short circuit would still be a short circuit, digital or not... what exactly does it mean then that its easier to build tracks? 

Thanks in advance for your advice.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

To start, look at train shows, dealers, and personal layouts. Ask Questions and determine what you want in scale, size layout, and price. I would think DCC would wait. One transformer is still handy after DCC conversion and cheaper to start with. Start buying books and mags. This is the season to start looking around. If you have money to throw around, you are in the right place.


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