@Robert Cushman If you set your TIU output to Variable voltage, you can control it with the MTH remote as a conventional loco. In other words any LionChief Plus will respond to track voltage the way a postwar loco would. But so will every other loco on the same track.
I agree that the LionChief remote is very toylike; it’s a shame Lionel didn’t make it feel like a more serious piece of equipment. But it provides reasonable independent control of the loco. Personally I don’t like the ergonomics of the DCS remote, and I place more value on independent operation. So I would probably use the remote that came with the loco. My $.02,.
