"unless you can afford BTO Legacy stuff, Lionel sucks. "
Not true in my experience. I buy almost exclusively non-BTO stuff and the value for dollar has been good for LionChief and LionChief Plus locos at prices similar to HO and N.
For beginners and most consumers who buy only a set and some track, maybe a second loco and some rolling stock, the prices are similar to many other hobbies. A few hundred dollars, which ain't peanuts, but no different as a proportion of income than toy trains have ever been in historical memory. A nice slot car setup or a few R/C planes and cars will cost about the same. Video games more expensive, but in a different category.
The quality has been good in my experience, contrary to the usual rants here : ) (zero problems over the last 5-10 years). If you want a scale model railroad in any gauge, with command control, such as DCC, DCS, Legacy, you're going to spend more money, of course. More like the thousands, not hundreds of dollars.
LionChief and LionChief Plus provide command control at reasonable prices and great simplicity and reliability in my experience. Fastrack is safer for children to assemble, like most roadbed systems, and quite reliable, if pricey.
This is a niche, not mass hobby, and prices reflect that lack of economy of scale (unintentional pun). Complaining about pricing is very similar to complaining that other people earn more money than I do. Gets you nowhere. Lots of good value on the previously enjoyed market if you seek out information and help from the knowledgeable experienced hobbyists. If you want top of the line Legacy locos, the pricing is going to be higher, just like buying a top of the line car, house, computer, home security system, etc. Most cannot afford that and live happy lives anyhow.
