How Long Does it Take to Get Things Moving with Legacy or TMCC?

You're talking about the initial setup when you first configure everything for the command environment.

To run one of my Legacy locomotives, I make sure it's on the track, power up the tracks and the Legacy remote, and start running the engine.  I confess, it probably take more like 10 seconds, but it's not exactly a huge amount of time!

Even setting up a new locomotive in the Legacy system shouldn't take you more than maybe a minute or two at the most.

I don't think I be intro trains if there was no legacy.. I love sitting on a chair controlling 4 trains on a remote making them move real slow smoke comming out the sides ..Once you go legacy you won't go back..After you get use to it and get pass the learning curve it's awesome. 

OK - thanks. I guess I misunderstood...that the time is in the initial programming, not each and every time you power-up. But with Legacy, and you want to do remote uncoupling, does each and every coupler of every car (front and back) need to be programmed into the system? What do most Legacy users do for example in yards?

With any system, remote coupling is dependent on having a remotely controlled electrocoupler to activate.  As a rule, they're only on command locomotives, though Lionel has a few cars and cabooses that have electrocouplers as well.  I've never seen an MTH car with remote couplers, though I'm sure it's possible.  MTH offered electrocouplers on ProtoSound 1 locomotives as well, activated by a sequence of whistle/bell activations from the transformer. 

You can position the magnetic decoupling tracks at appropriate places in your yard to decouple cars, that's what is usually done.

As long as the engines are command engines and they have electrocouplers, early diesels and steamers did not although it was possible to retrofit them, once you assign a unique number to the engine it only responds to the command when sent. The other engines do not receive the signal whether from CAB1 or Legacy CAB2.

My guess going forward the original CAb1/TMCC system will likely fail at some point. They go back to 1995 and parts are no longer available. So, although I still think Legacy is a work in progress you would be better going with Legacy.