I checked at my local Sam's Club this past weekend to see what their new Christmas set will be.
Every year, Sam's offers a Bachman Big Hauler set....Last year it was a 4-6-0 with two cars and a trolley...with track for both. They also offered an additional two passenger cars separately. This year it is a freight set.
It is one of the best ways to get into garden railways as they are usually quite cheap...but give you an engine which could be upgraded into a fine engine (it's arguably the most popular garden engine...especially for kitbashing). I thought this years set was $140 (US) including 4-5 freight cars, the 4-6-0, track, and a transformer.
In a couple years I'll be picking up the classic LGB starter set with the Austrian 0-4-0, a red coach, and a blue coach. Some day I'll own the Zillertalbahn 0-6-2t and cars...