Bart;
Don’t be afraid to call me here in Ottawa…a pleasant chat on the telephone might help you find some “Stuff” here in Canada, and also aid in locating supplies in the US, at better prices…(613) 723-1911…also view our fun at: www.ovgrs.org/
Fred Mills
Welcome Bart
I dove into this hobby just less then a year ago. I currently have a main line installed having just finished it this past April. I did a lot of research and figuring out what to buy from whom. Almost everything I own is new, wanting very specific engines, cars etc… and finding it more convenient then searching the web for used.
There are a lot of informative sites out there I used that really helped, aside from this forum.
The articles here are great, https://familygardentrains.com/ thought some a bit out dated when it comes to what is available to purchase.
I have also watched the UK series Mark Found - Garden Railways twice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcMe1QKuEyQ&list=PLYdqgmYJKJx3lLZEfkrCwuQmkljnX0T3s It was good for getting ideas and also what is involved in setting up a railroad.
Greg Elmassian also pointed you to his site which I also found quite helpful for information.
I have gone with almost completely USA Trains track and trains. I liked the Canadian engines they offered and I liked that they are easy to convert to battery via Airwire’s products.
I did buy some LGB initially but didn’t like it and ended up selling most of it. I liked the look of the USA Trains stuff more.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with. I have my build log on here as well that I continue to add to. It covers the layouts I chose as well as how I built the layout.