A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer-based

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

operations. They are generally large complicated software packages modeling a 3D

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

world implemented both as commercial trainers, and consumer

computer game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, mo ...

software with 'play modes' which lets the user interact by stepping inside the virtual world. Because of the near view modeling, often at speed, train simulator software is generally far more complicated software to write and implement than

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

programs.

Industrial train simulations

flight simulators A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

, train simulators have been produced for railway training purposes. Driver simulators include those produced by: * Avansim, based in the UK and Germany * Transurb Simulation, a Belgian-based company * FAAC (the training division of

Arotech Corporation Arotech Corporation is a Defense contractor, defense and security products and services company. It manufactures and designs products for military and non-military air and ground vehicles; interactive Military simulation, simulation for military, l ...

) in the United States *

Ongakukan is a Japanese company whose main business is music production and the planning, development, and production of commercial simulators. Its head office is located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kawasaki City, Saiwai Ward. Overview Minoru Mukaiya, ke ...

in Japan *

EADS Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate defence and space and helicopter divisions. Airbus has long been th ...

in Germany *

Bentley Systems Bentley Systems, Incorporated is an American-based software development company that develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports computer software and services for the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure. The company' ...

in the UK * Lander Simulation & Training Solutions, Spain * CORYS, a French company with offices in Grenoble, France and Jacksonville, FL, USA *

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co, formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW), is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces military weapons and vehicles, including tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoure ...

GmbH & Co KG (KMW), a German company based in Munich * Oktal Sydac in Australia, France, India and the UK * SMART Simulation - part of the Neokon Baltija group from Lithuania with offices in the UK and Russia. * New York Air Brake, an American company based in Watertown, NY. * PS Technology, an American company based in Boulder, CO. * Zusi 3 Professional, a German Professional Software to train and educate train drivers. (There is even a hobby version for the community.) The possible routes in the simulator can go mainly through Germany, but also Austria, little Italy and some French. Signaller training simulators have been developed by Funkwerk in Germany, The Railway Engineering Company (TRE) in the UK, OpenTrack Railway Technology in Switzerland, and PS Technology in the US.

Types of train simulators

There are various types of train driving simulators that are adapted to varying training needs and can be combined to meet operators' training needs in the most efficient way.

Full-cabin simulators

Similarly to flight simulators, train simulators can be a replica of a full driving cabin, on a one-to-one scale. This type of simulator is opted for when a train operator needs an immersive training tool for particularly effective training sessions.

Intermediate, more compact simulators

Certain simulators can uphold a certain level of immersion while optimising the space of a training room. When a certain balance between immersion and scalability is needed, this type of simulator is chosen by instructors.

Portable simulators

When a train operator has various training centres, it is sometimes easier and more logical to invest in smaller simulators that can be transported from one centre to another. The company Transurb Simulation was the first to propose such a tool, which has now been adopted by many operators around the world and is becoming of a growing interest for smaller operators.

Consumer train simulation

Many consumer train simulations have been produced, often focusing on different aspects of real-life railways.

Driving simulation

Train driving simulation games usually allow a user to have a "driver's view" from the

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

's cab and operate realistic cab controls such as throttle, brake valve,

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

and

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

, lights etc. Train driving simulation software includes: * '' BVE Trainsim'' (originally ''Boso View Express'') is a Japanese three-dimensional computer-based train simulator. It is notable for focusing on providing an accurate driving experience as viewed from inside the cab, rather than creating a network of other trains—There are no outside views, drivers can only look directly ahead, and other trains passed along the route are only displayed as stationary objects. * '' Densha de Go!'', a Japanese train simulation game series focused on driving, developed by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

. * ''Diesel Railcar Simulator'', a train simulator focusing on British diesel-mechanical

railcars A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car, railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled Rail transport, railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a trai ...

. * ''

Microsoft Train Simulator ''Microsoft Train Simulator'' (informally abbreviated to MSTS) is a 2001 train simulator game developed by UK-based Kuju Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Games (now known as Xbox Game Studios) for Microsoft Windows, W ...

'' (''MSTS''), developed by

Kuju Entertainment Kuju Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game developer. The original company was Simis, formed in 1989 and purchased by Eidos Interactive in 1995. Kuju was formed in 1998 in Shalford, Surrey, England, after a management buyout of Simis f ...

. ** Open Rails, an

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

, freeware simulator that is backwards compatible with

content. * ''

Rail Simulator ''Rail Simulator'' is a train simulation published by Electronic Arts (EA). It was produced by Kuju Entertainment. After release of the EU version, EA's support and further development of the title was taken over by Rail Simulator Developments ...

'', a spiritual successor to ''MSTS'' also developed by Kuju Entertainment. * ''

Train Simulator A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer-based simulation of rail transport operations. They are generally large complicated software packages modeling a 3D virtual reality world implemented both as comme ...

'' (originally ''RailWorks''), a successor to ''Rail Simulator'' created when a new company, Rail Simulator Developments Ltd, purchased the rights. In 2013 RSDL rebranded themselves as

Dovetail Games Dovetail Games (DTG), a trading name of RailSimulator.com Ltd (RSC), is a British simulation video game developer and publisher established in 2008 by former Electronic Arts executive Paul Jackson, Fund4Games backers Tim Gatland and Charlie M ...

, and renamed ''Railworks'' to simply ''Train Simulator''. ** ''

Train Sim World ''Train Sim World'' (abbreviated to ''TSW'') is a series of train simulator, train-simulation games developed by Dovetail Games. There have been seven iterations, including the initial ''Train Sim World: CSX Heavy Haul'' in 2017, after which ca ...

'', a successor to the above developed by Dovetail Games using the

Unreal Engine Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter video game '' Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of ...

. * ''Run8'', a primarily

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

train simulator focused on realistic North American freight operations. * ''Train Simulator'' series (a.k.a. ''Railfan'') * '' Trainz'' *
Zusi 3 Hobby
', an offshoot of the professional version with the identical programme versions, with real tracks recreated by th
community
Actual existing Train Network on this map in light green, but is regularly updated to bigger networks

* ''Mechanik PKP class EN57, EN57'' and ''MaSzyna'', freeware train simulators mainly focusing on Polish mainline rolling stock. * Train Sim, a mobile phone Train Simulator developed by 3583 Bytes using the Unity Engine. The PC game '' 3D Ultra Lionel Traintown'', amongst some others, give a different experience to driving, by being in a 3rd person omniscient perspective, controlling the trains from a bird's eye view. Peripherals specifically designed for use with driving simulations include RailDriver by US manufacturer P.I. Engineering. RailDriver is a programmable desktop cab controller with throttle, brake lever and switches designed to work with '' Trainz'', ''TrainMaster'', ''

'' and ''

''. There are also numerous rail simulators on the online game platform

Roblox Roblox (, ) is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation that allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users. It was created by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 200 ...

, such as ''Stepford County Railway'' (2017-present), ''British Railway'' (2023-present), ''Whitecoast City Railway'' (2021-present), ''Mind The Gap'' (2015-2024), and ''Dovedale Railway'' (2023-present).

Strategy simulation

Railroad-themed strategy simulation video games are focused mostly on the economic part of the railroad industry rather than on technical detail. The '' A-Train'' series (1985 to present) is an early example.

Chris Sawyer Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the best-selling ''RollerCoaster Tyco ...

's ''

Transport Tycoon ''Transport Tycoon'' is a business simulation game designed and programmed by Chris Sawyer, and published by MicroProse on 15 November 1994 for DOS. It is a transport business simulation game, presented in an isometric view in 2D with graphic ...

'' (1994) was an influential game in this genre, spawning remakes such as ''

Simutrans ''Simutrans'' is a cross-platform simulation game in which the player strives to run a successful transport system by constructing and managing transportation systems for passengers, mail and goods by land (Rail transport, rail, Road transport, ...

'' (1999 to present), ''

OpenTTD ''OpenTTD'' is a business simulation game, which players try to earn money by transporting passengers, minerals and goods via road, rail, water and air. It is an open-source remake and expansion of the 1995 Chris Sawyer video game '' Transport ...

'' (2004 to present) and Sawyer's own '' Locomotion'' (2004).

Sid Meier Sidney K. Meier ( ; born February 24, 1954) is an American businessman and computer programmer. A programmer, designer, and producer of many strategy video games and simulation video games, including the ''Civilization'' series, Meier co-found ...

designed two railroad simulations: '' Railroad Tycoon'' (1990) and '' Railroads!'' (2006). The '' Railroad Tycoon'' series itself inspired other rail games such as ''

Rails Across America ''Rails Across America'' is a railroad simulation game released in late 2001 by developer Flying Lab Software and publisher Strategy First. It received generally positive reviews. Though no official expansions have been released, a rudimentary ...

'' (2001).

Other genres

Some rail simulation games focus on

railway signalling Railway signalling (), or railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight ...

rather than driving or economics. Examples include '' The Train Game'' (1983), '' SimSig'', ''JBSS BAHN'', ''

Train Dispatcher A train dispatcher (US), rail traffic controller (Canada), train controller (Australia), train service controller (Singapore) or signaller (UK), is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territ ...

'', and the series of signalling simulations produced by PC-Rail Software.

History

Train simulators are particularly popular in Japan, where rail transport is the primary form of travel for most citizens. Train video games have been developed in Japan since the early 1980s, with

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

Super Locomotive is a side-scrolling Train simulator, train action video game developed by Sega and released for Arcade game, arcades in 1982. Gameplay The objective of the game is to guide a train from one station to next. Along the route, the player must avo ...

'' (1982) being an early example, before more realistic train simulators emerged, such as Ongakukan's ''Train Simulator'' series (1995 debut) and

's '' Densha de Go'' series (1996 debut), as well as train business simulations such as the '' A-Train'' series (1985 debut). Non-commercial Japanese sims include the freeware BVE, first released in 1996, which was later remade as the

free and open-source Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a Software license, license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term ...

''OpenBVE''. One of the first commercially available train simulators in the West was ''

Southern Belle "Southern belle" () is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman of European heritage in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman. Characteristics Th ...

'', released in 1985. The game simulated a journey of the ''

'' steam passenger train from

London Victoria Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a London station group, central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, London, Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named afte ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, while at the same time the player must comply with speed limits, not to go too fast on curves and keep to the schedule. It was followed with '' Evening Star'' in 1987. The first two train simulators to achieve large sales in the West, ''

'' and '' Trainz'', arrived within a few months of one another in 2001. These featured differing design philosophies - ''Microsoft Train Simulator'' focused on providing a realistic driving experience, whereas ''Trainz'' focused more on the ability of the user to create their own content such as trains and routes. The developers behind ''Microsoft Train Simulator'',

, later released a spiritual successor called ''

'', which was later purchased by a separate company and rereleased as ''

Railworks ''Train Simulator Classic 2024'' (originally ''RailWorks'' and ''Train Simulator'') is a train simulation game developed by Dovetail Games. It is the successor to ''Rail Simulator'', and was released online on 12 June 2009 and in stores on 3 J ...

''.

References

External links

2TRAIN Benchmarking Report on computer-based Railway Training in Europe

RailServe.com
(Directory of train simulator sites)

Online Support Forum and Add-on downloads)

* ttp://sim.bemined.nl/ Metro Simulation
pagina Viajeros al Tren Add-on Soporte y foro en Español
{{Video game genre Video game genres Railroad games