Actually all these comparisons are completely fair.
Think about it. Yes, Trainz has a solid community and that does give them an edge to a point. However, KRS is breaking into an already established market. It's perfectly fair to compare the best one sim has to offer to what comes stock out of the box.
Graphics: Over speculated content is not realistic pure and simple. KRS (and many other programs) lean towards shiny, over lit worlds. This is a simulator, which by definition means it's emulating the real world. Trains do not stay clean for long, nor do they bounce light everywhere.
Trees: I will admit KRS trees are much better looking, but Trainz has some wonderful trees available as well.
Track: KRS's design is a great idea, TRS could really benefit from something like this (hint hint Auran
)
Frame rates: This area is a grey one. It really depends on many, many areas. Most obviously the computer specs, and the poly count of the scene. Once KRS gets the same type 3rd party content I guarantee you'll see a serious dip in performance. It's the same problem you see with Trainz. The more polys in a given scene the more stress is put on the computer.
Route building: TRS and KRS alike take a lot of planning to design a high-quality route, they also both take a lot of work. Between the two however, even in the hands of an experienced person, KRS is a much harder system to work with. Like MSTS, KRS definately has the potential to be a good route builder system, BUT in comparison to TRS's surveyor it is a flop.