I haven't had the opportunity to see these side but side nor have I found any pictures on line. My understanding is that the Imperial models are scale like the Premiere models, but lack the details of the premiere line. Is this correct? Would the Imperial unit look that much different on a layout with all premiere units. Any thoughts...any pictures?
Thanks for your input.
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Other way around. The Railking Imperial engines are NOT scale but have the detail (or close to it) of the Premier engines.
Some Imperial products would look fine with Premier stuff, same for non-Imperial Railking. Others may look a bit funny. Many non-Imperial Railking products are old Premier line pieces from the 1990s and early 2Ks that did not meet the detail levels of today and moved to Railking line.
The F40 and GP9, both can be found in the Premier and Railking lines. Both are exactly the same only the Premier costs more $, has a few extra details (that can be hard to see or easy to break) and LED marker lights.
I have no experience with the Imperial steam engines, but I do have a couple of the SD70ACe's. They are quite a bit shorter than the Premier engines. They are still very nice!
Pretty much, unless it says "RailKing Scale" (these are the earlier Premier pieces, mostly diesels that no longer have today's expected add-on detail), it's less than 1:48. But: the RK USRA 0-8-0 has always been marketed as RK, yet has always been a true 1:48 model with basic, but correct, detailing. The RK USRA 0-6-0 (there is a Premier version, too - I own one) is pretty much the same kind of deal.
The RailKing Scale diesels can be big bargains - the detailing is all I require, they are very good replicas, and the cost is sometimes quite a bit lower that Premier - with the same operating system.
My RK Imperial Triplex looks like a 1:48 model of a smaller prototype - the cab is full O-scale, for example - but the actual smaller "prototype" never existed. Most RK, including Imperial, are undersized and look it, though they can look very nice. This, of course, does not apply to RK "Scale" items.
BTW - it is spelled "Premier" (which is "highest in quality"), not "Premiere" (which is the first showing of a film or the like).
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