Kevin, thanks for that very helpful reply. Now, let me see if I get this. And I'm kinda combining threads here.

I could pick up, say, an Aristocraft Revolution transmitter and receiver, plug it in, and then what I would need would be a battery car to power everything.

Or, and if I understand correctly, I could get a set such as what Tony posted today, along with a cheap transmitter (we don't plan to do complex operations) and a battery, install and connect everything and I'd be good to go.

I'm beginning a garden railroad in a situation where track power is not a viable option. My plan is to use battery power, but this seems to be more complex than I'd anticipated. I'm not one to tear apart and rewire a locomotive; I'm a modeler, not an electrician.

So my question here is if I were to purchase a locomotive such as the Spectrum Baldwin 2-4-4 Forney, what else would I need to make it ready to run, and what's involved in doing that?