''Train Simulator'' (''トレインシミュレーター'', ''Torein Shimyurētā'' or abbreviated ''"TS"'') is a Japanese train simulation game series produced by Ongakukan. The game is significant as it was one of the earliest of its kind since the series started in 1995. No titles were released outside of Asia until the 2022 title ''JR East Train Simulator''. The original ''Train Simulator'' series (1995–2000) was designed from technology which was previously used to develop the Ongakukan product "Touch the Music by Casiopea", which synchronized video with audio. This particular game was based on music from the jazz fusion band

Casiopea , now known in its fourth iteration as Casiopea-P4, is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, drummer Tohru "Rika" Suzuki, and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Muka ...

, whose keyboard player at the time,

Minoru Mukaiya is a Japanese musician best known as the former keyboardist of the jazz fusion band Casiopea and producer of the Train Simulator series of Japanese video games. Mukaiya joined Casiopea during its formation in 1977 (with guitarist Issei Noro, ...

, was, and is, also the CEO of Ongakukan. With ''Train Simulator'' Ongakukan filmed video from the cab of a train on the desired railway and recorded sounds from that train. Later when the simulation had been completed and was running on a PC, the video would be displayed in a silver metallic box and the sounds would be played according to what was happening at that particular moment in the simulation. The video for the original ''Train Simulator'' series of games was 308×156 pixels at 30 frames per second using Intel Indeo 2 video compression and

AVI Avi is a given name, usually masculine, often a diminutive of Avram, Avraham, etc. It is sometimes feminine and a diminutive of the Hebrew spelling of Abigail. People with the given name include: * Avi (born 1937), Newbery award-winning Americ ...

file container. Each game contains Japanese lines and trains, with the exception of four episodes located overseas, in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

, and the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. Video shot from the cab of the train synchronized with the computer is used as a basis for simulation. Ongakukan have endeavoured to produce true to life simulation with much technical details, and since 2005, Ongakukan has started producing professional simulators for driver training.

Versions

Six distinct series of the game have been produced through a decade:

''Train Simulator'' (1995–2000)

The original series, starting in 1995, these titles were all released on

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

and

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

systems. *1995.08.19: ''Train Simulator JR East Chūō Line 201 Series'' :( Nakano - Toyoda) *1995.09.21: ''Train Simulator JR East

Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parall ...

211 Series'' :( Kamonomiya - Totsuka) *1995.05.21: ''Train Simulator JR East

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line ( ja, 東北本線, ) is a long railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Utsunomiya, Fukush ...

211 Series'' :( Toro - Mamada) *1996.07.19: ''Train Simulator Odakyu Railway Odawara Line 5000 Series'' :( Chitose Funabashi - Sagami Ono) *1996.11.21: ''Train Simulator Sagami Railway Main Line 9000 Series'' :(

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...

- Ebina) *1997.03.21: ''Train Simulator German Railway Rhine River Left Bank Line'' :( Bingen -

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its na ...

) *1997.05.16: ''Train Simulator Nanbu Jukan Railway'' (Also released as a Collector's Edition) :(Shichinohe - Noheji) *1997.06.18: ''Train Simulator Keihin Kyuko Railway Main Line, Kurihama Line'' :(Shinagawa - Misakiguchi) *1997.09.19: ''Train Simulator JR Shikoku 1'' :(Takamatsu - Kotohira, Takamatsu - Kojima) *1997.12.17: ''Train Simulator Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line'' :(Seibu Shinjuku - Honkawagoe) *1998.04.17: ''Train Simulator

Nagoya Railway , referred to as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the ''Panorama Car Super'', both of which offe ...

'' :

Nagoya Main Line {{BS-map , title=Nagoya Main Line , title-bg=red , top= *Subway: Nagoya Municipal Subway *Lines are Meitetsu unless otherwise noted , collapse=yes , map= {{BS, STR, , , Tokaido Main Line} {{BS3, , STR, hSTR, , , Tokaido Shinkansen} {{BS5, ...

, Inuyama Line (

Kanayama is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese painter *, Japanese luger *, Japanese football goalkeeper *, Japanese golfer *, Japanese diplomat See also *Kanayama Castle was a Sengoku period ''yamashiro''-style c ...

- Shin-Unuma), Hiromi Line (Inuyama - Shin-Kani), HSST-100 Test Trac

(Ōe - Higashi-Nagoyakō) *1998.07.17: ''Train Simulator Hanshin Electric Railway'' :(Umeda - Kosoku Kobe) *1998.09.18: ''Train Simulator JR Hokkaidō'' (1) :(Yoichi - Sapporo) *1998.12.18: ''Train Simulator JR East

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban ...

'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD 1999.12.17) :(Osaki - Osaki, anti-clockwise) *1999.07.07: ''Train Simulator South France'' (also released as ''Train Simulator'' DVD) :(

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

) *1999.09.17: ''Train Simulator Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line & Yoshino Line'' :(Abenobashi - Yoshino) *2000.03.17: ''Train Simulator JR East Keihin-Tohoku Line'' :(Kamata - Omiya)

''Train Simulator Plus'' (2000–2001)

The ''Train Simulator Plus'' series was designed for the Windows system and its releases were limited to Japan. The first episodes were published by Pony Canyon while the last one was published by Ongakukan. *2000.07: ''Train Simulator PLUS:

Keihan Electric Railway , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a funi ...

'' :(Yodoyabashi-Demachi Yanage) *2000.10: ''Train Simulator PLUS: East JR Chūō Line 2'' :(Tokyo-Otsuki) *2001.02: ''Train Simulator PLUS:

Odakyu Electric Railway , commonly known as Odakyū, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for its '' Romancecar'' series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone. The Odakyu Electric Railway Compa ...

Odawara Line 2'' :(Shinjuku - Odawara) *2001.12: ''Train Simulator PLUS: Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line & Kintetsu Kyoto Line'' :(Kokusai Kaikan, Takeda, Kintetsu Nara)

''Train Simulator Real'' (2001–2002)

Released by SCE on PlayStation 2 system. *2001.10: ''Train Simulator Real: THE

'' :(Osaki - Osaki, clockwise) *2002.10: ''Train Simulator Real: THE

Keihin Electric Express Railway (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. mean ...

'' :( Misakiguchi- Shinagawa,

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primar ...

- Keikyu Kamata, Shinagawa)

''Train Simulator'' (2003–2005)

Released on PlayStation 2 system. *2003.10: ''Train Simulator: Midosuji Line'' :Osaka Subway (Nakamozu - Senri Chūō) *2003.12: ''Train Simulator ＋ Densha de GO!: Tokyu Line'' :(Sakuragicho - Shibuya, Shibuya - Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi - Futako Tamagawa) *2005.08: ''Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu Lines'' :(Haneda Airport or Ueno - Aoto - Narita Airport) *2005.10: ''Train Simulator: Kyūshū Shinkansen'' :JR Kyūshū (Shin-Yatsushiro - Kagoshima Chūō, Kumamoto - Minamata, Kumamoto - Shin-Yatsushiro)

''Mobile Train Simulator'' (2005–2006)

Released on

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

system from 2005 to 2006 and available in Japan and Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore). The first episode was co-developed with rival series ''

Densha de Go! is a Japanese train simulation game series originally produced by Taito and more recently by Square Enix (who purchased Taito) and Railfan Holdings Co., Ltd. The series started with a 1996 arcade version and was first released in a home ve ...

'' producer

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

. (Taito by themselves have also released 4 editions of Densha de Go for PSP). *2005.02: ''Mobile Train Simulator ＋ Densha de GO!: Tokyo Kyuko Line'' :(Sakuragicho-Shibuya, Shibuya-Chūō Rinkan, Oimachi-Futako Tamagawa) *2006.02: ''Mobile Train Simulator: Keisei, Toei Asakusa, Keikyu lines'' :(Haneda Airport-Aoto, Ueno-Narita Airport)

''Railfan'' (2006–2007)

The latest series was renamed ''Railfan'', it started in 2006 and was designed for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

system. The first episode introduced in December 2006 was developed by Ongakukan and published by Ongakukan in Japan, by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

in Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore) and by Cyberfront Korea in South Korea. * 2006.12: '' Railfan: Chicago Transit Authority Brown Line'' : Chuo Main Line ( Mitaka-

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Keihan Main Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Keihan Electric Railway. The line runs between Sanjō Station in Kyoto and Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka. There are through services to the Keihan Ōtō Line and the Keihan Nakanoshima Line. Trains ...

(Demachiyanagi- Yodoyabashi), Chicago Brown Line ( Fullerton,

Loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, ...

, Fullerton) * 2007 ''Railfan Taiwan Koutetsu'' released in Japan late 2007 for

, published by Ongakukan. The game simulates the early-2007 high speed rail line in Taiwan, from Taipei to Zuoying. The game provides a simulation of a train moving at 300 km/hour and details of 300 locations.

''JR East Train Simulator'' (2022)

Released in November 2022, ''JR East Train Simulator'' was the first title in the series to be released in the West. The base game features short segments of the Tōkaidō, Chūō, and Ōito lines, with DLC available to extend these lines to their full length.

Controllers

A number of external controllers with realistic controls have been manufactured for use with the games: *Train Mascon (uses serial port to connect to PC or Macintosh) *Master Controller II for Trainsimulator (USB) *Multi Train Controller (PlayStation 2) *RailDriver Desktop Train Cab Controller (USB to PC)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Train Simulator Series 1995 video games Classic Mac OS games Windows games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 3 games Train simulation video games Video games developed in Japan Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1995