I dont think I have 2500.00 tied up in my medium sized THERR layout. That includes the cabinets...plywood...scenic material...locos and rolling stock ;-)
Head over to Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine. You can read all the issues online for free. They did a $500 layout contest. That included everything to build and run a layout. $2500 will get you a long way if you shop wisely. Don't impulse buy. If you see something you want shop around and look for a deal. A friend of mine found and bought a DCC equipped engine for $128. I went online and showed him he could have save $50 with 2 minutes of comparing prices.
Mailed some trucks with Rapidios today, hope they help. Frustration is something ya gotta just outlast sometimes.
I also have some Rapido trucks I don't need if you still want more. PM me with an address. Also excellent advice. But beware the faux pax of going to your local hobby shop to see what they have just to buy everything on line. Be sure to support them. One of the guys at my local shop told me about the customer that spent time learning all about something he wanted to buy, pulled out his phone right there in the the shop and ordered it from the Internet. Not cool at all.
