I am new to electric trainsets, from the Reading, PA area, and just purchased the Bachmann Iron King set.  I was interrested in obtaining a Hopper to add to the set...and I saw the Trainman(R) AAR 70-Ton 3-Bay 9-Panel Open Hopper -- Reading #60352 - HO-Scale on another website.

Will this run with my set?  Or do I have to stay with Bachmann units?

I am new to electric trains...we recently purchased the Bachmann Iron King HO Scale Electric Train set to run under the children's Christmas tree for our 5 year old grandson's enjoyment.  I know very little about setup and maintenance for these trains.  If he likes the train set, we may start to upgrade.  But for now, the set comes with 155 pieces and for our initial budget that is all we can get.

Do we need to set the tracks on a plywood surface in order to run?  Or can the tracks be laid upon a carpet directly?

what are some of the issues I should be aware of? 

Any guidance is appreciated.   Thank you.