This is great if you are just getting into DCC, but don't care about sound. This will control directional lighting, and let you configure how fast the loco takes off, as well as brakes. And of course, allows you to power your layout like one block. No need to isolate blocks. This unit controls 3 locomotives with decoders - OR - 1 DC locomotive and 2 DCC locomotives. That DC will run as the number 1 loco, and at idle will actually sound similar to an idling locomotive. It has GROUP A and GROUP B, each of which can have 3 locos defined. But to run anything more than three at a time, you need MRCAD300, which plugs into the telephone type jack on the back of this device. With that, you run Group A with one device, and Group B with the other. And the best decoder to get for the locos are MRC 1834. They fit nicely, and no wires to get caught up.