My 10 year old son who is fairly adept at O guage would like to start working with N so he can break and make more layouts. He loves designing. . I am concerned about costs involved. I saw some good prices on ebay then went to the local store and found it much pricier. Can anybody give me a crash course? I was told the older brands are not necessarily all compatible and harder to work with. I don’t want to be limited to which brands I can get. But then the new ones were expensive to get a collection going. I am also worried about the ease of use with the older ones if they don’t come with the snap together stuff but the new ones the different brands don’t snap together. The foundation isn’t attached. Is N too little to work with. He is good at it but I can’t help. Any ideas would help.
If your son want to “make and break” layouts, I’m assuming he will build one, run trains for a while, then tear it down and start all over. If that is the case, you might want to go with the brands that have the track and roadbed all in one (Kato Unitrack, Bachmann EZ track, etc.). These types have an interlocking mechanism in the roadbed that will help keep the track together. As you mentioned, I do not believe you can intermix these brands (because of the different interlocking mechanisms). Sectional track or flex track is really meant to be nailed or glued down on a somewhat permanent basis.
If you go the sectional track route, most brands are compatible, as long as they are the same code. Code just refers to the height of the rail. Code 80 is .080" high, code 55 is .055" high, etc. While you can intermix codes, it requires skill that is probably above that of a 10 year old. Sectional track can be taken down and reassembled, but doing that over and over can loosen the rail joiners and then sometimes the electrical connection between two pieces of track is broken, causing poor running of your trains.
I mentioned flex track, which is similar in appearance to sectional track, but as it’s name implies, is flexible. Flex track typically comes in 3 foot lenghts and is cut to size where you need it. Again, this is probably above the skill level of your 10 year old and is more of a permanent set up.
I hope this helps and I hope your son stays interested in trains. This is a great hobby.
I worked with N scale when I was 10 and didn’t have a lot of help at the time. For the most part, everything is the same, just smaller. I don’t have any advice re: track and whatnot but I will say that it’s probably fine for him to work with it.
Another vote for the track with built in roadbed for a rebuildable layout.
As for compatability, you may find two different types of couplers, just as there are in HO. Changing them on cars isn’t usually too hard. It can be a little challenging on some locos. You might want to be sure the locos have the coupler you want to work with. I would suggest the knuckle type, but that’s me.
I think you have to keep in mind that keeping the child’s interest requires using good stuff that’s hard to mess up. While that’s not always the cheapest option, buying stuff that doesn’t last or doesn’t work seems like a total waste of money, no matter how inexpensive it was.