i just picked up a pair of these CP Rail only units. They ran well in DCC mode with my Tech 6 but exhibited a few hiccups when I tried DC mode. Of course you’d not use a Tech 6 to run a DCC equipped locomotive in DC mode anyway.
I put them on our DC layout and they ran exceptionally well. Motor sounds are satisfactory and you get some braking sounds when closing the throttle. Using the MRC 760 (rated at 21v output or something like that) gives a wider throttle range than I expected. Momentum effects are excellent right out of the box.
The current dual mode decoders are getting very good. I slipped in a couple of TCS LL8 motor only decoders into Proto 2000 GP7 and even with the Tech 6 they run exactly the same way in DCC or DC mode. The fact that TCS makes a dedicated drop in decoder for Proto 2000 DC ready locomotives indicates how popular those old models remain. I really like them and they’re all getting an LL8 soon. The LL8 literally drops in place of the standard LL Proto 2000 light board.
The T1 is also very versatile for old Lifelike models like Proto 1000 which seem pretty simple to hardwire in and are very small. My RDC3 is due for one soon.