Premium Engines

I want just the opposite:  scale (or nearly so) dimensions, decent detailing, basic sounds (i.e. RS 1 or 2), and conventional control.  I don't want premium features, command, or the tiniest detail parts/gingerbread.

Lionels Lionmaster line has more than taken up the slack. These are well porportioned, fairly detailed, semi-scale models that negotiate turns as tight as O-31. A few bigboys, hudsons, T1's, a run of class A's and cab forwards, and numerous challengers over the years.The newest ones have legacy and other features like whistle steam as well, see here.   http://www.lionel.com/Products/Finder/SearchResults.cfm?doAction=search&Keywords=lionmaster&CategoryID=&Gauge=&RailLineID=&CatalogID=&CollectionID=&searchWithin=Current

The Lionmaster series stuff is great.  I have a set of Legacy SD80MAC's in the Conrail scheme.  They're beautiful, run great and sound awesome.  Plus, they take my O-36 curves that I usually have set up in my bedroom.  I can't really fit my O-72 curves in that room for my scale GG1, but the SD80's are great on O-36.

I have the Lionmaster Legacy PARR 4-4-4-4 T-1 and the same Conrail SD-80 in Legacy as SantaFe158 has, they're nicely done and both run on O31 curves.  There are other Legacy locomotives that also run on O31 even though they're not Legacy.  Another recent arrival that fits that description is my PARR Legacy U28C.

MTH RaiKing IMPERIAL series!

Amen brother! Best deals for your money if you ask me! Hope they ship some Imperial steam soon....

That's the RailKing Scale product lineup.

You do not need O72 curves to run full scale Lionel big steam locos.  I test ran a Lionel 2-6-6-2, a MTH 2-8-2 and Lionel Erie USRA heavy Pacific on a hobby shop's store layout using Atlas O54 inch curves.  They all ran great.  Odd-d

I have converted Railking Scale to 2-rail.  At least the SD-9 is not that different from Premier to RK Scale.

I am a scale modeler, but can do without opening doors,  swinging bells, smoke,  and on most days, sound.  I like scale dimensioned models, and the level of detail is secondary for me.

ditto.  If the basic model is dimensionally scale, the details can be added on later.