Toy electric train set

[atgcpaul]

My wife (OK, me too) wants an electric train set for Christmas. It's been years
since I played with trains. I'm probably going to get an HO rail set but it seems
like train track "technology" has really made some leaps.

I digress, it seems like the "big" thing is easy connect tracks. In case I want to
expand later, are different HO rails from different manufacturers supposed to be
compatible? Or are you locked into one track system once you start? What is
the accepted "standard" track system that can interconnect with others?


Thanks,
Paul

[LCHIEN]

its been a few years since i messed with HO trains, but all the tracks were interchangeable then. You have to mess around with insulating connectors if you do different sections of powered track (complex multi track and switching controls) but not for a Christmas setup. Not aware of any changes in the subsequent years.

You might look at N-gauge, its a lot smaller, popular because you can put a complex setup in a much smaller area. With HO, you can't do much more complex than an oval or figure 8 on a sheet of 4x8 plywood.