using lionel 180 bricks directly into the tiu channels?

The 180s have a fast acting breaker and should be fine.  A lot of folks use them this way.

What Marty said. You're not gonna find too many breakers that go faster than the ones built into the bricks.

You can connect the brick to the 6-34120 TMCC direct lock on and then to the TIU, the only thing it really adds is that the lock on breaker is auto resetting, but you'll be fine with just the brick breaker.

Well, here's a sample of one, I've never felt the need to add extra breakers over the PH180 internal breakers.  I personally specifically do NOT want my tripped breaker resetting until I'm ready for power again!  The power to the four bricks are individually controlled using a wireless remote control so I can reset them after the reason for the trip is repaired.  The logic of having the power continually pound on a short has always escaped me, and for sure I'll never run that way.

thanks guys, thats what I thought. my current set up was the bricks going into my zw-c. I lost the board in my zw-c control unit. I had a back up luckily.

so now am rethinking just going bricks only for the next layout. do not want to hassle with fixing another zw-c in the future. assuming I could find a cheap enough one.

john You suggested to me years ago to go straight bricks and I just wanted to have the look of the zw and be able power up and shut down track power with the handles. it has worked for me for several years. dont get me wrong I like the zw cool factor on my controll pannel.

with one of my zw-c controller's going belly up the other day. it has me thinking when I expand my layout. I am going to forget cool and go reliable. I only run command anyway.

thanks guys, you told me all I need to know.

I liked the idea of the cool visual of a big transformer, preferably with nice meters.  However, once I got to building the current layout, practicality won out and I just made it an unattended power and control panel.