Just got my first Lionchief Plus loco yesterday. I have been running conventional since 1960.
So far, so good. Cruise control is great, especially on grades. Remote is reliable, works from all corners of the basement. Loco pulls well, looks great by PW standards Cruise control also seems to work in conventional mode, which I wasn't expecting. I had only one "duh" moment, was running it in conventional and realized that the couplers won't respond to an uncoupling track....duh...
Couple observations-
1. I could live without the brake release sound and cab chatter or crew talk or what have you. All I need is the horn and bell. Unfortunately, they are a package deal.
2. I might be able to fix this, but my remote has 4 clicks of "off." That is fine, makes it easy to find the off position in an emergency, but they are not centered; there are 3 "off' clicks in the reverse direction but only one in forward. Might be a simple matter of repositioning the knob - I will take it apart one of these days.
3. Seeing as my layout is set up for block control this isn't an issue for me, but there appears to be no way to completely shut down the engine from the remote. I have the RS-3, and as long as it is powered the cab is lit and the smoke unit runs. If you shut off the power switch on the remote the loco shuts down but beeps every few seconds to tell you that the remote is off.....
4. Instruction sheet talks about adding "3 or 4" drops of smoke fluid at a time. 30 or 40 is more like it.
All in all, very pleased, a terrific upgrade for an old conventional layout, one of these days I will pick up the multi-remote and a Hudson.
